This overlooks that 100% cotton jeans will break down when they are discarded (unlike polyester and nylon). A good pair of jeans can be mended and worn for many years instead of a new pair every year. Jeans can lead a very useful “after life” as insulation or be recycled into new fabric.
It also ignores the chemicals and energy required to turn beechwood and bamboo into wearable fabric.
I don’t know what the solution is but natural fabrics aren’t the enemy.
you make a good point about how clothing doesn’t just exist for the life of the first wearing. Impact also looks largely at how it’s discarded and washed and that is a huge factor.
Cotton isnt leaving behind microplastics in your water like polyester. So even the shower claim is non comparable. At least the water is left cleaner with with cotton.
But then we can’t be too ideal like they aren’t taking up space on the planet to produce. Like how people were about ecars Vs combustible.
My friend are you completely ignoring ethical nudism here? Fabric and clothing is just a capitalist mind game to shame you into covering yourself. We were born naked and goddammit I’ll die naked.
Defintely more reasonable than leather pants. And if we changed the dyes/chemical treatments, 100% cotton jeans could be biodegradable with their zippers and buttons removed which is better than materials like polyester. Of course most jeans these days are a mix of materials.
Without providing an alternative, this infographic (not a meme) is useless to me. For all I know, every other kind of trouser is worse. Without a source for the data, it could all just be lies.
The biggest problem is that artificial fabrics are better if you only use these measures. Nylon doesn’t require arable land, or fertilizers, nor take the place of food production. Nylon is much lighter so far more efficient to ship. I don’t know about manufacturing water or co2, but I wouldn’t be surprised if nylon wins.
This is why it’s not that easy. This is why “plastics” will be impossible to stop using. Do we really think it’s beneficial to continue down the path of fewer natural fabrics, even if common metrics say it is?
As you said , we need alternatives, including why. Some of that may be additional metrics (anyone concerned about micro plastics in wastewater?). Otherwise this just creates stress and hopelessness.
That made me suspicious of the methodology on all the other points.
I’m a guy with short hair, so I’ve probably got the shortest possible shower, and even going fast I’m around 10 minutes. If I’m not in a hurry and use the specific face scrub and a separate conditioner I’m in the 15-18 range.
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