As a vegan one of the benefits of not consuming animal products is that micro plastics in the food chain via the consumption of fish does not impact me personally .. or so I thought. Having looked at little further into the topic of micro plastics I discovered that, these tiny synthetic fibres that are finer than a human hair, are shed every time garments made of synthetic petrochemical (these are produced using fossil fuels- when will humanity learn that nothing good comes from the use or extraction of fossil fuels???) based products are worn, washed and dried. According to the plasticsoupfoundation.org up to 33% of all floating household dust is now micro plastic fibres. This means that humans can not only consume the fibres via animal products but that we are also breathing these fibres in in our homes, schools and workplaces. Even more terrifying is that it now appears that no where on earth is safe from microplastics as these pollutants are actually in all water supplies including the oceans and rivers and lakes throughout the world. Meaning that, even in the most remote and untouched areas are affected by micro plastics through rainfall. Our current washing machines and water processing plants cannot filter micro plastics so every time we wash synthetic fibres we release these nasties into our water supply. It is suggested that we can consume up to 68,000 particles of micro plastics per annum and while we are aware that inhaling these pollutants can impair lung function the impact of micro plastics ingested through food and drinking water is not yet fully understood.
What can we do to limit the release of micro plastics?
Avoid purchasing synthetic plastic based fabrics such as
Polyester
Nylon
Polyamide
Acrylic
Wash at lower temperatures, lower temperature washes are less vigorous meaning that fewer micro plastics will be released
Air dry clothing as tumble drying releases more micro fibres (check out all that nasty fluff in your filter).
Retain garments containing these fabrics for longer as a greater number of microfibres are released when garments are first worn and washed. Reusing, repairing & recycling also reduces demand for fast fashion items which is a double win as overconsumption is one of the greatest drivers of climate catastrophe.
Opt for sustainably produced plant based fabrics like linen, cotton, tencel, hemp, soya bean fibre, bamboo or woocoa.
As a vegan I experience a real contradiction at this point as wool, silk, leather and even fur are natural fibres that in theory should not release micro plastics into our environment.
While I would never consider wearing fur because yuck I would consider wearing wool (I hear the vegan police sirens approaching). My reasons for this are the sustainability of wool and that the obtaining of wool may cause sheep some distress however most breeds of domestic sheep that are in existence cannot naturally shed their winter fleece without human assistance which would also cause distress to the animal. While I live by vegan principles I feel that it is best to take a pragmatic approach and balance the need for sustainability with the need to ensure that animals are not harmed to satisfy human desires. I personally also feel very conflicted on the topic of leather as I am aware that my vegan doc Martens are certainly a future source of pollutants (I do intend to wear them until they fall apart but disposing of them is ) but I just cannot bear the thought of wearing the remains of a slaughtered animal on my feet.
I would love to know your thoughts and how you think it vegan principles and the pursuit of sustainability can be balanced to create the best outcome for people, animals and the planet.