8 out of 10 British individuals want ‘clear’ labels for clothes

Environmental non-profit A Plastic Planet, conducted a study among the British population and found that eight out of ten individuals (81%) want the government to enforce labelling that shows if clothing and accessories include plastic.

The Yonder poll was done among 2,091 individuals in the United Kingdom by the global solutions company.

JeansIt also found that 72% of participants had no idea how much plastic is used to create clothing, and that two-thirds had no idea how fashion affects plastic pollution.

According to A Plastic Planet, Plastic accounts up 60% of all garment materials. When clothes are washed, plastic synthetic fibres are shed, and they enter the environment. These synthetic fibres are thought to account for more than a third of all microplastics discharged into the ocean.

Every year, half a million tonnes of these microfibres are discharged into the seas as a result of laundry, while 70 million barrels of oil are used yearly to produce polyester for clothing, which emits up to three times more carbon than natural materials.

Along with more than 40 parliamentarians, academics, and campaigners, retail expert and broadcaster Mary Portas; Fashion Revolution co-founder, Orsola de Castro; author and Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Dr Shanna Swan; and former Green Party Leader, Caroline Lucas, have signed an open letter calling for the plastic labelling system.

The open letter encourages the government to establish a labelling system similar to that being rolled out under EU regulations, which reveals where hidden plastic is present in specific single-use goods, with the majority of Britons ignorant of fashion’s role to plastic pollution.

The group warns that if the government is serious about tackling the plastic issue, it must address plastic pollution caused by the fashion sector.

Campaigners warn that the fashion sector should bear a significantly bigger share of the blame for plastic pollution, claiming that a clear labelling system will enable customers to make more educated decisions when considering the environmental effect of their purchases.

They also suggest that as customers seek more ecologically friendly items, they believe that labelling will hold businesses more accountable for the plastic in their clothes and accessories.

Sian Sutherland, the co-founder of A Plastic Planet, said that for years, the fashion industry’s effect on plastic pollution has gone under the radar. However, the reality about the massive amounts of fossil fuels required to produce our clothing, as well as the plastic microfibres that are shed into the air as we wear them and flushed down our drains with every wash, is now known. These small poisonous fibres will never be collected or recycled. For generations, they will poison our planet. It’s all about choice and honesty. Shoppers have a right to know how their purchases affect the environment. He can’t choose to change without explicit labelling. The government must respond to popular demand by implementing obligatory labels that reveal hidden plastic in clothing.

Mary Portas, a retail expert and presenter said that they’re becoming increasingly conscious of the textile industry’s role in the plastic crisis. Unbeknownst to most people, the simple process of washing clothes pollutes the environment with millions of plastic microfibres.

Portas added that consumers, who are more environmentally concerned than ever before, want to do the right thing, and it is only fair that they are given the choice to understand what impact their purchases would have while making purchases.

Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party, said that fashion is contributing huge quantities of plastic pollution to our natural ecosystems, but there has been very little accountability so far. The government claims it wants the UK to lead the world in combating the plastic crisis. If this is the case, the textile industry’s involvement in fueling it must be considered.