Polyester: The Textile That Costs The Earth

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Some polyester bags cost as low as $5 each, however they are made from a non renewable resource, oil. Plus, when they are discarded they last in the landfill just as long as plastic bags. This is not the solution to the problem of plastic bags.

Nothing we buy will last forever, that’s why we must choose a bag that will biodegrade when trashed. Who cares that they fold into pouches? The minor convenience is no reason to turn our backs on the environment.

Its cheap to use Polyester but the environment and our health is paying heavy price for it. Polyester, also called dacron, terylene, vycron etc, was introduced from the 1950s. Polyester is more sensitive than cotton for laundering. Because of its hydrophobic nature, it has a poor affinity for dyestuffs. Polyesters generate environmental impacts in their life cycle, including material extraction through their production and use to their disposal. In very general terms, the studies have shown the health hazards to consumers and the environmental risk arising from use of polyester textile in daily life.

Polyester fibre is produced from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. All the production steps of polyester required to convert petroleum into polyester fibre are energy intensive and result in significant emissions, including large amounts of a potent climate change gas – carbon dioxide. Air emissions which include nitrogen and sulphur oxides, volatile organic compounds (VOC), particulars, carbon monoxide and heavy metals, can cause significant health problems. Presence of toxic antimony in production is a concern from a human health perspective. Producing polyester also uses large amounts of water for cooling, as well as lubricants, which can become a source of contamination.

Hard To Recycle Synthetic Fibers

The textile industry is shared between natural fibers such as wool, silk, cotton, and man-made ones, the most common of which are synthetics fibers [Polyamide, acrylic] made from petrochemicals. Polyesters manufacture creates pollution and they are hard to recycle(with nylon taking 30 to 40 years to decompose).

Source: cazcointeriors.com