A Call for Synthetic Fabrics for Clothing

The NYTimes has an article about clothing and a report about the future supply of clothing and textiles from Cambridge University called "Well Dressed?". The article, "Can Polyester Save the World?", (may require free registration) highlights the relatively new phenomenom of stores like H&M, Old Navy and Target that offer inexpensive, fashionable clothing. What that allows is people to purchase more clothing and throw the clothes away long before their useful life is over.

The article points out that consumers who are environmentally conscious may purchase clothing made of natural fibers like cotton over synthetic materials like polyester due to the thought that cotton is more environmentally friendly. The fact is, though, that because cotton requires washing at higher temperatures and may require tumble drying and ironing, the amount of carbon emissions resulting from cotton clothing is often higher than their polyester counterparts.