According to an analysis by Changing Markets, from which “Spiegel” reports, it is primarily low-cost suppliers who are causing the proportion of plastic in clothing to skyrocket. The proportion of synthetic fibers in the textile fiber mix at the Chinese online retailer Shein is 82%. The sportswear manufacturer Lululemon has a plastic content of 67% in its collections. Other companies such as Aldi Süd (57%) and Primark (43%), Bonprix (42%) and Inditex (38%) also have significant, but not as high shares, although in some cases the trend is increasing.
“The big fashion brands are relying on the fast fashion model and flooding the market with environmentally harmful disposable materials,” says Urška Trunk from the Changing Markets Foundation in the “Spiegel” report. “We must act decisively to free fashion from its dependence on fossil fuels.” The low quality, coupled with a poor recycling rate, makes the fashion industry one of the largest sources of microplastics and waste. Less than one percent of all textile waste worldwide is recycled into new clothing; the vast majority is burned, buried, stored in landfills or sunk into the sea. Textiles pollute the world’s oceans with up to 500,000 tons of microplastics every year. Fashion itself is becoming a risk to the environment and human health, says marine biologist and microplastics expert Sedat Gündogdu from Çurkorova University in Turkey.
The figures presented by the Changing Markets Foundation were determined for the third time since 2021 using a questionnaire that was sent to various fashion brands. Of 50 companies contacted in April, only 23 responded, according to the report. Companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, Patagonia have not provided any feedback, according to the organization.
According to Urška Trunk, more than two thirds of all textiles are made from synthetic fibers. By 2030, their share is expected to rise to 73%.