Revelation: Fashion products continue to pollute our oceans

The good news is… it does not have to continue this way and I’ll tell you why

Hello my (new) friends & fans! 🕵🏻‍♀️

I am so excited to see the list of subscribers grow this fast, beyond my expectations! Not that I had real expectations about growth but it’s nice to see a growing interest in my weekly newsletter.

Today’s topic is how fashion interacts with the oceans.🌊 It’s not a pretty picture, BUT I do have some good news for you in the end !

Last week Tuesday marked “World Ocean Day”. To be frank, I really do not care for these days as I believe we should appreciate our oceans more often than just that one day. On the other hand, I do see the value in making a global reminder of why we should give a damn about the oceans 😌

Microplastic ain’t fantastic

Every time you wash a garment made with synthetic fibers (incl. that 2% elastane in your “circular denim jeans”), millions of microplastics are released into the oceans.

I assume this is no news to you, but even though we are aware of the serious problem with microplastics coming from our clothes into the ocean, the amount CONTINUES TO GROW. The BBC recently reported (Research conducted by the Royal Society for the Arts (RSA) that at least 50% of fast fashion is plastic, i.e. made from textiles derived from crude oil. Link to the article here.

I don’t know how you feel about this, but I’m stunned. The only reason I can come up with, is that (brands continue to favor profit over planet. Only if polyester, acrylic, nylon and other synthetic fibers that just should not be in our clothes are taxed heavily, nothing will change. Because let’s face it, money makes the world go around. Which is not a bad thing, unless the fibers are harming the environment.

My tips

• NEVER throw clothes into the garbage bin.

• Do your laundry using the Guppyfriend® bag ( #NoAd )

• Take my #QuitSynthetic challenge (super simple: just check the labels of a garment you consider purchasing and if it says anything that’s a synthetic fiber… just walk away and don’t look back, because it’s a step into the future)

• Careful what you thrift for. These clothes have been washed many times prior and with every wash the fibers lose strength resulting in faster shedding of microplastics. Not just the fabric but also the dye, the seams, and the label, can carry microplastics.

• Look out for #compostablefashion 🤩

The last tip is the one I’m most excited about as my startup Positive Fibers is finally launching this exact concept this month !!! Every single fiber in the garment is ocean positive. I’m in the process of writing a blogpost about what exactly that means, so stay tuned via www.positivefibers.com

Will you let me know what you think of this newsletter? I look forward to your feedback!

Warmly (yet breezy as it’s 30C here 🥵),

The Circular Fashion Detective