Let’s be honest, talking to your clients about responsible sourcing isn’t at the top of your list right now. Mired in supply chain hassles, margin issues, and challenges from competitors, it’s easy to understand how product safety and social responsibility can take a back seat in your client conversations.
Now’s the time to think of this as a prime opportunity: now, more than ever before, being a good source for clients interested in corporate social responsibility could be a real differentiator for you. Open a conversation with the fact that there is almost nowhere in the world where you can’t find (and ingest) plastics. Unfortunately, it’s true! The world runs on plastic, and each of us is ingesting nearly 2,000 microplastic particles a week. These tiny plastic particles are in the tap water we drink, the food we eat, and even the air we breathe. You already know that plastics are manufactured with chemicals linked to cancers, hormone disruption, and human developmental delays, so this shouldn’t be a surprise, but don’t assume your clients are dialed in on this front — talk with them about it. A recent article in New York Times reported there are “18 to 24 shopping bags full of small plastic fragments for every foot of coastline on every continent except Antarctica.” By this point in the conversation, I would hope your client is ready to ask how they can make a difference.
Microplastics come from a variety of products you’re likely sourcing for your clients — ranging from larger pieces, like plastic bottles, that can break apart into smaller and smaller fragments, and all the way down to nasty plastic beads like those in skincare products. You could start by looking at the synthetic fibers in athleisure and other soft goods. We’ve talked before about how textiles shed microplastics from something as simple as the friction created in the washing machine, running them down the drain and into our waterways. Scientists estimate that textiles produce 35 percent of the microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans, making textiles the largest known source of marine microplastic pollution. More than two million tons of microfibers enter the ocean every year. Surely by now you have really picqued your clients’ interest!
So why not just switch to only sourcing soft goods made from natural fibers as a simple solution for the microplastics problem? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Textiles labeled 100 percent natural can still contain up to a third of their weight in chemical additives for stain resistance, water repellency, fire retardancy, or antimicrobial properties. According to the Microfiber Pollution Project, natural materials (like cotton) can shed even more fibers than synthetic textiles in the wash. These fibers make their way to the environment and scientists are now finding that these ‘natural’ fibers often outnumber synthetic fibers in environmental samples.
By now, you’ve genuinely confused your client by telling them that both natural and synthetic textiles shed microfibers and ‘natural’ microfibers are not very natural as they can contain chemicals and dyes that may affect their persistence and toxicity. Turns out the real answer is one we’ve mentioned before: buy less, but buy better quality in soft goods that will wear longer. Fabrics that can be spot cleaned rather than washed are best. It turns out that how clothes are constructed plays a big role in how many microfibers they lose. Help your clients to look for properties like longer fiber length, high yarn twist, low yarn count and high fabric density. Different types of fabric shed more than others. A tightly woven fabric with tightly twisted yarn (feels flat and smooth) sheds less than a loosely woven fabric with loosely twisted yarn (feels fluffy or fuzzy).
Synthetic or natural, we all need to agree that we have a major environmental problem, one that’s not going to go away. The global production of stretchy synthetic textiles is expected to triple by 2050, but the quality of design and manufacturing, how often we buy them, and how we care for them is still something we can control in our industry. Are you and your clients up for the challenge? I hope so, and I’ll be right there fighting the good fight with you.