https://phys.org/news/2024-07-apparel-industry-leaks-millions-tons.html
'A study has found that waste from the global apparel industry is leaking
millions of tons of plastic into the environment each year—an overlooked
pollution source which may be getting worse over time.
The findings are detailed in a recent study from North Carolina State
University researchers, which found that global apparel consumption resulted in
over 20 million tons of plastic waste in 2019. Around 40% of that waste may
have been improperly managed and become environmental pollution, a process
known as "plastic leakage."
Textile waste was divided between two sources; clothing made from synthetic
materials like polyester, nylon and acrylic, and clothing made from cotton and
other natural fibers. Researchers looked at plastic waste generated across an
apparel product's "value chain," which refers to the entire lifecycle of a
product—including, for example, not only the piece of apparel itself, but the
plastics used to wrap it.
"We analyzed data on imports, exports and apparel production in countries all
over the world," said Richard Venditti, professor of paper science and
engineering at NC State and co-author of the study. "Then we compared that to
existing global information on different stages of the apparel value chain to
estimate how much plastic leaks into the environment at each of those points."
"Much of the plastic waste that leaks into the environment comes from clothes
that are thrown away, especially synthetic apparel," Venditti said. "There is
also waste from manufacturing, packaging and even from tire abrasion during
transport, as well as microplastics which get pulled into the water when we
wash our clothes."
Researchers found that synthetic apparel was by far the largest source of
plastic waste. The synthetic value chain accounted for 18 million tons of waste
in 2019, making up 89% of all plastic waste from the global apparel industry
that year. Of that, researchers estimated that around 8.3 million tons may have
leaked into the environment.'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
