We see cotton literally everywhere. Take a quick look in your closet or drawers and just think about how much cotton is in there. Tons, I’m sure! But is cotton really all it’s cracked up to be? Yes, of course it’s great to have your basics, but who doesn’t like a splash of change in their wardrobe every now and then? And what better way to make a change than using synthetics!
In the article titled it states the demand for polyester has doubled over the last 15 years, and has now overtaken cotton as the single most popular textile material. The article also gave us statistics from 2005 on the total demands for natural fibers and synthetic fibers. The total for natural fibers was 25.76. The total for synthetic fibers was 33.78. Both are calculated in million tons. Synthetic fibers are most commonly seen as “bad” and natural fibers are usually seen as “good”. It is a given that the production of synthetic fibers hold quite an impact on our environment, but the production of natural fibers such as cotton, hold a pretty similar impact, as well. The articles states that cultivating 1 kg of cotton for example, draws on 8000 litres of water (an estimated average across the global cotton crop). In comparison, producing 1kg of polyester uses little or no water. Although producing polyester uses more energy, the statistics on the amount of water used are pretty startling.
In the class lecture video, we were introduced to several different fallacies concerning natural and synthetic fibers. We often think natural fibers are better than synthetic fibers, and the word “natural” leads us to believe this myth. For example, synthetics most often have a greater carbon footpint than naturally derived fibers, but this does not mean that synthetics are inherently evil. For instance, synthetics might be a good option for a textile product that will be highly durable and have style longevity, therefore, fewer may be produced and disposed.
The apparel industry needs to be using a textile that is environmentally friendly. After reading the article and seeing the statistics, I personally think synthetic fibers are the right choice.
Natural fibers…that sure does a have a ring to the name, doesn’t it? But just like we learned when we were little from the oh-so-ever-popular quote “don’t judge a book by its cover”, learn more about your product rather than just its name. In this case, don’t just your material from its name. There’s a lot more to these fabrics than just the name, both good and bad. In my opinion, synthetic fibers are the choice to go with. Let’s change up our wardrobe, save some water, and continue the popularity of synthetic fibers such as polyester!
Morgan, I like the points you make. I agree that natural and synthetic fibers do have about the same environmental impacts. To improve your blogging, I would say to include the title of the readings and the videos as well as including the author to make your facts sound more credible. Your writing always draws me in as I can hear your personality through it. Do you think there are ways we could improve our natural fibers to make them have smaller harsh impacts on our environment? If so, what are they?
ReplyDeleteLindsey, you are exactly right! I meant to fill in the aritcles title and author, and I completely forgot to do that before posting it! I think it would help to just use evreything in moderation. Of course, no material is going to be perfect, but if we use it in moderation maybe we could get better results.
ReplyDeleteMorgan, your blog is very persuasive! When it comes to synthetics I completely agree with you in that they are durable and can be long lasting, but that is also a down fall when it comes to the environmental impact that landfills make on our world. But you are right in your post to Lindsey, no material is going to be perfect!
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