| Many consumers on social media are talking about the downsides of polyester, the synthetic textile that dominates the fashion world. Buyers have expressed frustration that companies are charging hundreds of dollars for garments made from the material. Consumers want to know whether polyester delivers value for their money and what its potential impacts on human health and the environment are. Here's what we know.
👕 Retailers frequently use polyester in fast fashion to balance the demand for new clothes with the need to keep expenses low.
👕 Polyester is not biodegradable and can take decades, and possibly even centuries, to break down. Even then, it doesn’t go away, but disintegrates into smaller pieces known as microplastics.
👕 Online claims suggest polyester exposure may cause cancer and infertility, but medical toxicologist Ryan Marino says polyester has not been proven to cause infertility in humans. |