Key takeaways

• Research suggests cellulosic fibres represent 80% of ocean microfibre pollution, challenging the assumption that cellulosic fibres are inherently biodegradable.
• Chemical modifications, such as dyeing and finishing treatments, can impede a fibre’s ability to breakdown in the natural environment but the extent is not yet widely understood.
• A study conducted by the University of Leeds (UK) looks to determine the effect of various processes on the biodegradability of cotton substrates in freshwater environments.
• Its findings suggest that textile treatments such as reactive dyeing and durable press finishing can reduce biodegradability, with slower fibre breakdown rates recorded than previous studies.

When it comes to the world of fashion and sustainability, cotton is often thought by many to be better for the environment than its synthetic counterparts due to its perceived natural occurrence in nature. However, the cotton you find growing in a field is not the same cotton you might find in the t-shirt in your wardrobe. After all the chemical and physical processing during manufacturing, can we still truly call this material natural?

Natural ≠ biodegradable
Microplastic pollution has been making headlines over the past two decades, pivoting the textile industry away from synthetic, petroleum-based textiles towards more natural