How can I know if my clothes are made of synthetic material?
Synthetic fabrics can break into micro plastic easily by heat or water.
Even when doing laundry or exercise!
Yes, you are right! Your body creates heat and sweat when exercise.
Tiny plastic fibers are rubbed off and absorbed into your skin.
Micro plastics are tiny enough to go inside your pores!
For you, it might be ok to have few synthetic items but not for the tailors who cut and stitch thousands of these per day. They breath in the micro-plastics dust every single day. We want a better life for them too, don’t we?
Here is an easy way to check whether your clothes
are synthetic or not.
Mostly, being over-shining and having sleek texture is already a sign your piece is synthetic. Except, of course, silk, pashmina wool and soybean fabrics which are naturally shining.
If you are still not sure, one simple and very easy trick to check at home is the burning technique. Chose a part which is on the inside or not visible. Use a lighter to gently burn the spot and watch out for these few marks.
When burned synthetic fabrics, which are petroleum-based, smell like plastic. They shrink and create a hard ‘ball-like’ shape or sticky black ash same as when you burn plastic.
Silk fabric or pashmina wool, on the other hand, smell like your own hair is burning, while soybean fabric smells like organic compound and doesn’t create a ball-like shape when burned.
In our opinion, synthetic fabrics are acceptable only when up-cycled (not recycled), which means to use the same fabric without changing their form mechanically or chemically and create new pieces that can last and help reduce the waste.
If you have questions regarding this topic, write a comment or send us a message. We will be happy to share our knowledge and help.