OPINION: As the world became aware of the damaging impact individual use plastic was having on our planet, it was agreed unanimously that we all must play our part in reducing our use in packaging and bags along with all streams of sole use plastic.
Supermarkets no longer provided free plastic bags with our purchases, and we were all encouraged to use multi use bags for life. Fast food chains stopped providing plastic straws, replacing them with paper versions and many cities globally banned the sale of single use water bottles, allowing them only if the caps remain attached. The UK government banned online and over the counter sale of single use items including drink stirrers, balloon sticks, cutlery and food and drink containers made of expanded and extruded polystyrene. The message was clear – we need to look at ways to reduce and to find reusable alternatives. The facts were there, we could see the damage that we were having on our planet and in whole, the public were on board.
However, whilst all these changes are vital, it is time that we look at the hidden plastics and think about adopting the same mindset with these items. This time of year, with the festivities under way, one of the most bought items is the seasonal Christmas jumper. With the British public purchasing over 12 million Christmas jumpers each year, alarmingly over a quarter will only be worn once. In 2019, Hubbub analysed 108 jumpers for sale in 11 high street shops and through online retailers and found that 95% had been manufactured in full of plastic material. Three quarters of the garments evaluated contained acrylic, making it the most used plastic fibre.
The fibres released from acrylic are one of the major contributors of microplastics in marine environments. These are ingested by plankton, fish and large mammals, as well as humans. Because of their tiny size, microplastics have also seeped their way into foodstuffs including seafood and drinking water. Even being found in the ground and soils. A recent study conducted by Cardiff University found that 86 trillion to 710 trillion microplastic particles can contaminate European farmland per year.
Acrylic
Acrylic fabric is a type of plastic, made from synthetic polymer fibres derived from petrochemicals, specifically from a polymer called polyacrylonitrile, which is classified as a type of plastic. Like other synthetic fabrics such as polyester and nylon, acrylic fabric is created through a chemical process using fossil fuels, making it part of the larger family of plastic-based materials.
While acrylic fabric is soft and often resembles wool in its texture, making our jumpers appear warm and comforting, its underlying structure is like plastic in that it is not biodegradable and made from non-renewable resources. This means that, like other plastic-based materials, it has environmental implications related to both its production and its disposal. So we need to adopt the same approach with these hidden plastics and start to think about storing our festive jumpers away for reuse next year, like we do our Christmas decorations.
January sees an influx of these jumpers donated to the charity shops and in textile containers in the belief that we are giving them to a good cause and not sending them to landfill but what do we expect the charities to do with such items, with the chance of resale in the new year being minimal? So, whilst we enjoy this festive season lets keep in mind future years and ensure that we are doing the right thing with our knitwear.
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