Use of oil, water pollution, CO2 emissions related to transport ... Cracking for new jeans can have negative consequences for the environment. In the urban farm of Clermont-Ferrand, a company has developed an alternative: t-shirts, trousers and other compostable jackets. The founder, designer of sportswear in bio-polyester, "has made his bet: to ensure that the material that composes his clothes is not harmful in contact with the skin and is also not a toxic waste for the environment, "says Fanny Agostini in her column" Rendez-vous à la ferme "on Europe 1.
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In concrete terms, clothing is made entirely from natural materials, such as sugar cane fiber, cotton, linen or hemp. "All we used before the oil-based polyester came to dress us", summarizes Fanny Agostini. For the columnist, this method has a double positive effect. Upstream, no environmentally hazardous material was used. And once at the end of life, "natural clothing can be composted because, by degrading, carbon 14 and oxygen promote the formation of bacteria that will revive the soil".
60% of the fabrics used are synthetic
This line of ready-to-wear is actually part of a long line of natural clothing. "Historically, clothes have not always been composed of oil," recalls Fanny Agostini. They were made from wool and cotton and then, thanks to trade, with new textiles such as linen and silk. "It was not until the end of the 19th century that synthetic fiber arrived on the market," adds the journalist.
Polyester, nylon, lycra ... "Today, more than 60% of the fibers used to create clothing are synthetic," she says. These tissues contain endocrine disruptors and microplastics. Once washed in a washing machine, these microplastics seep into the sewage pipes and pollute the oceans.