Can polyester be sustainable?

Do you know that song?

I have Axl Rose’s distinctive voice in my ear and suppress the urge to be headbanging. But I am currently on a train, so that would be quite inappropriate. 

Instead, I will be describing the jungle of sustainable materials, and oh my, what a jungle it is. 

It looks like, no matter what we choose, nothing will ever be good enough, because all materials have their pros and cons. I will focus on polyester here and discuss the good and the bad of this fiber. 

But before I do that, you might want to know more about this woman who likes to listen to Guns N’ Roses on trains. 

My name is Anne and apart from being completely stuck in the ‘80s when it comes to music, I am quite up to date on sustainability in the fashion industry. I have worked with fashion and sustainability since 2006 and now help companies implement sustainable models and materials. 

But, let’s not get sidetracked.

It derives from oil. With the help of chemicals, plastic chips are made. They are then melted and spun into thread – a polyester thread. The thread is woven or knitted into a fabric, then dyed and eventually made into a garment This is simplified, but you get the picture, right?

This is the reason why we can take used plastic bottles (PET bottles, to be exact), melt them and spin them into thread, weave it, dye it and make clothes out of it. This is again overly simplified, but if you are interested in the science behind it, there are sites online that do a great job explaining it in detail.

Well, it does have advantages. If it is made from reused plastic bottles, these are not going to go to waste. It is recyclable, meaning that as long as it is 100% polyester, it can be recycled into polyester again. It is an intelligent material with a lot of possibilities – also in regards to sustainability. 

But – there is always a butt in the end (pun intended): It is still a synthetic fiber made of plastic. The trouble with that is that it will shed a certain amount of microplastic when it is washed. This microplastic will get into the sewer system and eventually end up in the environment.

So if you own any garments that are made of polyester, you should wash them in a special bag (such as the Guppyfriend wash bag) that will collect microplastic. Or you could invest in a high-end washing machine with a filter that catches microplastics. 

So, as you can see, there are pros and cons to polyester as a material. But there’s one thing you can do, which is only buying recycled polyester – you’ll find it in products like the Essential Pants, the Essential Overshirt or the Essential Suit.