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Pro

– does not wrinkle

– is soft in texture and drapes easily

– is very durable

– can be pleated

– is fast drying

Cons

– issues microplastic

– lacks breathability

Advice

Use recycled polyester or post-consumer PET fabric. Even though recycled polyester is better than its virgin counterpart, it still releases microplastics into the water during every wash washing. Recycled polyester can come either from recycled polyester garments or post-consumer PET. If possible, I’d advise going for natural materials instead.

r-pet / Polyester

Polyester is a manufactured, synthetic polymer fiber, made out of crude oil. Polyester is a kind of plastic and therefore generally has a significant negative impact during its production, use and disposal. The virgin material of polyester is obtained from a non-renewable source, namely petroleum and during the production of the fibers, greenhouse-gasses are released into the air and cause serious harm to the environment.

Because polyester is a non-renewable source this entry focuses on recycled Polyester.

Chemical and mechanical recycling is possible but presently not on an industrial scale. Polyester has the potential to be recycled a few times, then it loses its durability. Recycled PET is usually mixed with any type of virgin material for better stability.

Since Polyester is a synthetic fiber, garments made of it tend to last a long time, in use and after use. It has a higher water and energy usage since it needs to be washed more often than garments made of natural fibers. The reason for the need to wash it more often is that bacteria quickly colonize on polyester, which can create smell.

Polyester is not compostable and should be recycled at the end of its garment life.

Sources

https://materialarchiv.ch/en/ma:material_553/?q=polyester

https://www.commonobjective.co/article/fibre-briefing-polyester

https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/polyester-fabric

Textilepedia, Fashionary International Ltd, 2020