The Core

Laundry is a top source of microplastic pollution – here’s how to clean your clothes more sustainably

https://theconversation.com/laundry-is-a-top-source-of-microplastic-pollution-heres-how-to-clean-your-clothes-more-sustainably-217072

Bad news RC.

Blue Jeans Blues: Researchers find denim microfibers in Great Lakes

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/09/researchers-denim-microfibers-great-lakes/

This means I'm guilty too since I wear jeans all the time.  Still cotton fibers can't be anywhere near as bad as plastic microfibers.

But let's not talk about the not-so-micro plastic debris field I generate with my little 3d print farm.

I have quite a few garments in synthetic fabrics or blends and some are years old, even decades, bought (or made) before we knew about micro-particles in the ecosystem.

Synthetic vs natural fibres isn't a totally black and white discussion. To name just one issue, a good synthetic fabric will air-dry quickly and won't need ironing, both of which save energy.

Whatever fabrics you wear, choose well-constructed classic styles that will look okay through many fashion cycles and not be out of style two seasons from now. It's okay for your wardrobe to be slightly boring! Do some of your shopping in thrift shops so you're buying fewer new garments and accessories. Above all, take good care of your things so they last a long time.

Related:
https://www.vogue.com/article/how-many-clothes-should-we-own?

>> how-to-buy-clothes-good-for-the-climate

The problem is this becomes a lot like the recycling problem. Even the manager of the local solid waste facility can't answer what the ultimate fate of a given item is.

It's also a problem with food. Asparagus in the US mostly comes from Peru at terrific climate cost. How can we afford to sell it at a reasonable price? Because the US subsidizes Peruvian farmers to grow asparagus in order to get them out of the drug trade (seriously). And while it appears to have been somewhat effective drug policy, it's terrible climate policy.

What's the point? The point is that all of this is way way way too complex for consumers to reasonably evaluate. It always brings me back to a price on carbon and a price on EOL disposal of non-compostable goods.

Sure, that doesn't necessarily help Flipper, but it does help settle questions like whether it's better to buy a pair of all-cotton jeans that cost 15kg of CO2 and last 3 years or a pair of nylon pants that cost 21kg of CO2 and last 10 years (which is roughly my experience, though I like cotton for the feel, my cotton clothes do not last).