It ain't fashion, if it ain't sustainable

Juan Hinestroza

Innovation / Coatings

11 October 2024

Droplets of (left-to-right) soda, water, orange juice, sports drink and milk are shown on a piece fabric with (top) and without (bottom) a UiO-66 metal-organic framework superhydrophobic coating.

Scientists Create Waterproof Coating for Fabrics Using Upcycled Textile Waste

US researchers have come up with a method to decompose and recycle old polyester textiles to create an alternative to the carcinogenic fluorinated finishes, also known as ‘forever chemicals’.

Staff Writer

Microfibre Pollution / Pods

18 March 2024

7 minutes

A bill dubbed “Pods Are Plastic”—proposed a ban on dishwashing and laundry detergent pods coated in polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, a type of plastic that disintegrates when submerged in water. Laundry and soap companies have long argued that the PVA coating is totally safe and 100% biodegradable, but proponents of the bill say that neither of those claims is true.

Detergent Pods Are Only the Start of Clothing’s Microplastic Pollution Problem

The Pods Are Plastic bill faces uncertain prospects in the New York City Council. If it does pass, however, it will only go a short way toward mitigating laundry-related microplastic pollution.

Joseph Winters

Report

Textile Recycling / Polyester

21 July 2023

Doctoral student Yelin Ko works in a lab creating metal-organic frameworks from upcycled polyester.

US Scientists Depolymerise Polyester in 30 Minutes at Room Temperature

Scientists at Cornell Unoversity in the US have developed a chemistry toolbox to clean up a formidable environmental foe: polyester textile waste. The concept has the potential to disrupt the textiles and apparel production business,