Microplastics are everywhere. Both literally and in the news. Why? Because they pose existential questions about – and threats to – our modern way of life, one that is so reliant on plastics. But with the world using more and more plastic, what are the solutions to this seemingly insurmountable problem? Join us as we explore the options and try to set a course towards cleaner, plastic-free oceans.
Solution 1 - Recycling
Once upon a time, recycling was seen as the golden solution to all of the world’s sustainability issues. The thinking went that no changes were required to the economic or business status quo, because recycling technology would become so advanced that any sustainable swimsuit, ethical boardshort, eco-friendly bikini – or indeed any product – would be able to be recycled, ceasing humanity’s reliance on raw material extraction.
Some 15 or 20 years later, that promise simply hasn’t come to pass. Greenpeace Spain recently reported that less than 40% of all items placed in recycling bins in Spain are recycled. The outlook is even worse for post consumer clothing waste, with only 1% of it being recycled and turned back into clothing.
So, recycling isn’t the elixir of circularity the world hoped it might be, but does that mean we should abandon recycled materials? For as long as plastic waste exists, we believe recycling will play an important role in a sustainable fashion brand’s clothing range, especially where functional swimwear and warm winter jackets are concerned.
Monomaterial designs for our recycled jackets make them easily recyclable, with fabrics also used that keep microfibre shedding to a minimum. Meanwhile, our sustainable bikinis and ethical swimsuits are made of majority recycled materials.
Again, these materials keep microfibre shedding to a minimum, while also helping to reduce plastic waste being sent to landfill. And that’s all before we even mention our new men’s sustainable swimwear….
Solution 2 - Regenerated Ocean Impact Waste
One of the well-founded critiques of regular recycled fabrics is that they break the recycling loop. This means that by taking items like recyclable plastic bottles and turning them into clothing fibres, they are far less likely to be recycled.
It’s for this reason that our new men’s boardshorts are made from regenerated ocean impact waste, also known as SEAQUAL® or ECONYL®. Ocean impact waste is plastic trash recovered from the sea. It includes discarded fishing nets, plastic bags and plastic bottles.
When you consider that 69-81% of microplastics found in the oceans are caused by exactly this sort of waste – it’s certainly beneficial to upcycle it rather than leaving it to pollute precious eco-systems.
Solution 3 - Avoiding Single-use Plastics & Virgin Synthetics
Two ways to stop microplastic pollution once and for all are to: 1. Ban the production of single-use plastic products 2. Have customers boycott all virgin synthetic clothing.
Both measures would quickly do away with the need for recycled fashion fabrics that shed microfibres, while also reducing the amount of plastic waste clogging our seas and beaches.
This is ultimately one of the biggest differences between a true sustainable brand like TWOTHIRDS and other brands dedicated to high turnovers and big margins - no matter the cost to local communities and the environment. While we at TWOTHIRDS use less than 2% of virgin synthetics in our collections, fast fashion brands will typically create well over 50% of their range from such materials. Furthermore, far from reducing their use of virgin synthetics, fast fashion brands are ramping up their use, all of which means yet more plastic microfibres flooding the ocean.
Yet another reason why shopping at a true sustainable fashion brand like TWOTHIRDS is one of the best ways to protect what you love: the ocean.
