Emerging research shows that plant-based plastics — just like petroleum-based plastics — contain many thousands of synthetic chemicals, with large numbers of them extremely toxic. However, the bioplastics industry strongly denies that bio-based plastics contain hazardous substances.
Read moreVOGUE UK | Your Clothes Could Be Toxic. Fashion Urgently Needs To Address This →
You’ve likely seen the photographs of rivers in countries like China and Bangladesh turned a bright shade of purple, blue or red by the dyes used in the fashion industry – a very visible reminder of the harm that chemicals in our clothes can cause.
But while most shoppers in the Western world believe that the problem of toxic fashion pollution is an issue in developing countries, those same toxic chemicals are being applied – sometimes deliberately and sometimes through sloppy contamination – to our clothing and accessories. In many cases, these toxic substances stay on our garments all the way to our closets.
Read moreWELL + GOOD | Get Your Petroleum Off My Body →
When you look at a piece of fashion—a swishy long dress, a pair of yoga leggings, a bright turquoise T-shirt—what do you see? I see petroleum.
That’s right: When oil is pulled out of the Earth, it’s not just going to power cars and heat homes. It’s also going into the making of and materials used in clothing, shoes, and accessories. The $2.5 trillion global fashion industry is estimated to be responsible for somewhere between 2 percent and 5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main driver of global warming. That’s more than the emissions from the aviation sector or deforestation.
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