Natural fibres versus man made ones

In this day and age, as more people are becoming more environmentally aware and adjusting their lifestyles accordingly, it is no surprise that clothes are also under scrutiny. There is a long standing debate going on regarding the viability of synthetic and natural fabrics in the manufacture of clothing, linen and other home furnishings. It may seem obvious at first glance, but this is not as clear cut as you might think. There pros and cons to both types of fabric.

Synthetic fabrics have been under attack for some time now. Pro synthetic people argue that they are cheap to produce but there are some major drawbacks. They are made from petrochemicals which are fossil fuels. This is a resource that the planet is rapidly running out of.

To stop the clothing from shrinking and wrinkling, man-made fabrics are often coated with formaldehyde, a chemical which has been associated with cancer. Also, in order for these fabrics to hold dye better, they are further coated with chemical fixatives which contain heavy metals. These are not biodegradable and impact on the environment

Natural fabrics contain fibres that originate from animal or plants such as cotton, hemp, sisal, wool, alpaca, silk, jute and bamboo. These are generally more breathable than synthetic fibres. They are biodegradable and renewable. Because they are natural, these fabrics often don’t last as long as their man-made counterparts.

Although natural fabrics are renewable, they are higher in resource terms when it comes to water for the plant based fibres and grain to feed the animals which produce wool, Some man-made fabrics are also more expensive to maintain and clean than wool or cotton. In addition, some natural fabrics actually last longer thanks to advances manufacturing processes. So how do you choose? Ideally, you’ll inform yourself of the manufacturing process of whatever garment you purchase and wear. It’s time-consuming but if you wish to be more aware and make better choices for your health and the environment, it’s a small price to pay.

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