The Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia is known as the world’s most polluted river. Plastic, … [+]
In a scene from Netflix’s “Buy Now!,” piles of discarded clothing with labels from some of the world’s most recognizable mainstream brands litter the beaches of Ghana. In a country with a population of 30 million, it receives 15 million pieces of clothing waste every week.
In the U.S., one recent estimate speculates that retail returns, including those from Amazon, account for 5 billion in landfill waste.
Plastic waste is a global problem. Every day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the oceans, rivers and lakes.
So before hitting that one-click shop button or rushing to grab the latest deal, here are three ways to avoid plastics when shopping for fashion and beauty this holiday season and beyond.
1) Read tags and labels
Think you found that perfect holiday gift? Check the fabric tag or label first and steer clear of fossil fuel-based synthetic materials like polyester, nylon and acrylic.
Synthetics have significant greenhouse gas emissions, toxicity and are difficult to biodegrade, noted Marci Zaroff, eco expert and founder of Ecofashion, a platform for sustainable brands, including the contemporary sustainable YesAnd, the organic home textile brand Farm to Home, and MetaWear, a business-to-business sustainable clothing and home decor manufacturing platform.
“These materials contribute to excessive landfill waste, microplastic pollution and harm both people and planet,” Zaroff said.
The bottomline is many materials have a negative impact, experts say.
“No rule can be universally applied without exception,” said Daniel Lewis, co-founder of SocialStudiesShop.com along with Jessica Gangoso. SocialStudies focuses on contemporary, socially conscious and ethical brands, featuring over 60 petroleum-free products.
“From [our] perspective, the worst offenders include materials produced for fast fashion companies, under unfair labor practices, with ‘virgin’ synthetic fibers or exotic animal skins and furs,” Lewis said.
2) Choose natural fibers over synthetics
Look for items made from materials that are natural, biodegradable, and/or responsibly produced, such as: certified organic/recycled cotton, organic bamboo, linen, wool, cashmere, leather and silk, experts like Zaroff suggest.
When shopping, look for terms and labels that help guarantee more sustainable measures were taken in production. These include: Plastic-Free Certified, OEKO-TEX Made in Green, which ensures non-toxic production, GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), which prohibits blending with synthetic fibers unless recycled and strictly regulated, BlueSign, which means the products meet the strictest standards, and Fashion Positive Cradle to Cradle, which focuses on material health, safety and circularity.
“Consumers should look for best-in-class materials in areas of fashion which are most important to them,” said Gangoso, such as how raw materials make their way from farm to garment or the like for animal by-products.
“There are also new categories of biomaterials replacing animal-skin leather with alternatives made from cactus, apples, olives and bamboo by-products,” Gangoso noted.
Zaroff cautions, however, that some food-based leathers might be blended with toxic synthetic binders or plastic resins, so it’s important, once again, to read the labels.
Shopping secondhand or recycling clothes via thrifting, vintage, renting, reuse and repair does help divert waste from landfills, reduce overproduction and extend the lifecycle of garments, but it doesn’t eliminate issues like microfiber shedding, experts say. This occurs when tiny pieces of plastic break off from synthetic clothing while laundering and end up in the waterways.
3) Know your plastic numbers
Want to avoid plastic when shopping for beauty? It starts with knowing your plastic numbers.
Read the ingredients and packaging and avoid plastics that can’t be recycled, Priscilla Tsai, CEO and founder of Cocokind, advised. This includes items with #3 (PVC), #6 (PS) and #7 (other plastics and mixed plastics).
Other plastics in the #7 category include single-use items or packaged goods with excessive wrapping or materials used for decoration versus functional need, Tsai noted.
Instead, look for products with the most commonly recycled plastics, identified by #1 (PET) and #2 (HDPE). “These help contribute to post consumer recylced (PCR) materials that reuse plastics rather than going to landfill,” Tsai said.
Other sustainable materials include bio-resin materials that use plant waste, aluminum or glass.
The downside is it’s nearly impossible to completely avoid plastics when shopping for beauty in traditional retail settings, Tsai said.
“This is due to the fact that this material plays a key part in how packaging works; ranging from general packaging, secondary packaging, and usage mechanisms—such as how a makeup stick can wind up and down,” Tsai said.
At this time, there’s no universally accepted label, seal or term that guarantees a product does not contain plastic, the executive noted.
“This is why we take the approach of providing as much transparency as possible into the sustainability facts of our products to our customers so they can make informed decisions,” Tsai said.