Top Brands Using Synthetic Fibres More than Earlier; EU Initiatives on Reducing Fashion's Footprint Are Backfiring

NO PLAN TO CUT DOWN: Nearly all (88%) of the companies that responded to the survey acknowledged that microplastics are a problem. But nearly half of all brands (22 of 50) have no public plan to resolve the problem and another 22 rely on industry initiatives that have achieved little. 

• A third of those that responded (8 of the 23, or 34%) claim that more research is needed to understand and measure microfibres before any legislation is put in place, despite the existence of thousands of scientific studies on the subject. 
• In a sign of delay tactics, Inditex, Primark, Tesco, PVH, Zalando and Varner told the Changing Markets Foundation there should be a standard pollution test method, despite the fact such a method was announced in 2021 by an initiative backed by Primark, Tesco and PVH. Inditex stood out in survey results as the clearest opponent to regulation.
• Nearly half (21 of 50, or 42%, including Adidas, C&A, H&M, Kering, Lululemon, Nike and Patagonia) back an initiative that carried out research concluding that natural and synthetic microfibres are equally problematic. This flawed claim is thought to have contributed to microplastics being excluded from an important EU policy instrument.
• Most of the above 21 brands, including Adidas, Lululemon, Nike, are ranked among the worst by the Changing Markets Foundation.
• About a third of all the brands (16 of 50, or 32%) do nothing to address microplastic pollution beyond being members of an industry initiative. Many major players promote circular economy initiatives, such as clothing repair, resale and rental services, but only Hugo Boss and Patagonia say they plan to cut overproduction.
• Eight companies push the microplastic problem onto their customers, suggesting they fit washing machine filters or offering instructions on care. 
• Some of the biggest, including Shein, promote efforts to reduce waste, a distraction from their vast and growing production of low-quality synthetic items destined to become waste.
• Zara’s parent company, Inditex, revealed that it uses a higher volume of synthetics than any other brand surveyed by the Changing Markets Foundation. The fast fashion giant’s use of fossil fabrics grew by a fifth since the last survey. 
• Fast fashion leader Shein declared the highest ratio of synthetic to natural fibres, with four-fifths (81%) of its vast material output made from fossil sources. 
• Boohoo reported a rise in synthetic fibres, now making up 68% of its materials, a 4% increase. The UK fast fashion brand was recently ordered to stop greenwashing by regulators. 
• Lululemon, a “purpose-driven” brand identified with healthy lifestyles and also accused of greenwashing, ignored this year’s survey, but its 2022 annual report put the figure at 67%.

LEGISLATIONS: Over 30 pieces of draft legislation will come into force globally in the next few years, including a UN Plastic Pollution Treaty expected later this year. 

• The EU has promised to raise clothing quality, cut waste and pollution, tackle greenwashing and overconsumption. The role of synthetics in driving fast fashion was clearly acknowledged by the EU and the bloc last month moved forward with product standards that could dramatically reshape the sector.
• But the global treaty could be watered down, and some EU initiatives are attracting criticism. 

WATERING DOWN!? A pledge to reduce unintentional microplastics by 30% was scaled back, in part to a mere brochure. 

• Worse, a draft EU anti-greenwashing law could use a criticised methodology that currently neglects microplastic pollution and other environmental concerns, leading to “completely misleading” results.
• This could see firms legally promote fast fashion items as more sustainable than high quality organic cotton or wool garments, a situation angering the natural fibre sector.

WHAT THEY SAID

Fashion is at a critical juncture, with major brands doubling down on the fast fashion model, flooding the market with disposable, polluting fabrics. These companies continue to bet big on plastic fibres, showing little intention to change and resorting to tactics borrowed from the fossil fuel industry to distract and delay real progress. While regulators are beginning to act, they must remain vigilant. We need strong, decisive action to steer fashion away from its dependency on fossil fuels and towards creating high-quality clothes that people want to keep for longer.

— Urska Trunk
Senior Campaign Manager
Changing Markets Foundation

Synthetic fibres from textiles have become one of the most prevalent types of microplastic pollutants in the environment and are being identified in numerous human organs. So heavy is their use by manufacturers and so heavy is the pollution that it is fair to say that fashion itself is becoming an environmental and human health risk.

— Dr Sedat Gündoğdu
Marine Pollution Expert