Nylon, Polyester, & Acrylic
Synthetics are of course a product of our modern world. They are not found in nature and were created in labs. These were amazing achievements in science in the 20th Century. Through science, the average consumer was able to afford a variety of clothing. Now we are finding that those scientific achievements were at the detriment to our planet and health.
Why Synthetics?
Affordability has been the main reason that synthetics are so prevalent in our wardrobes these days. It takes time to cultivate plants and raise animals for clothing, but synthetics can be created on a consistent formulaic basis. There are no issues with pests or drought when creating these inorganic fibers. Also, synthetics have qualities that make them useful in all sorts of applications.
Affordability has been the main reason that synthetics are so prevalent in our wardrobes these days. It takes time to cultivate plants and raise animals for clothing, but synthetics can be created on a consistent formulaic basis. There are no issues with pests or drought when creating these inorganic fibers. Also, synthetics have qualities that make them useful in all sorts of applications.
Where Do Synthetics Come From?
Synthetics are often created with unsustainable natural resources like oil and coal aka fossil fuels aka dead dinosaurs. This means that coal will need to be mined and oil will need to be extracted. There are only so many dead dinosaurs and plants in our Earth, so these resources are nonrenewable. These fossil fuels are combined with other resources like water and air through chemical processes (remember the Periodic Table from science class?). The product is then heated and pressurized to create a liquid, solidified into polymer (plastic) chips, melted and spun into fiber. The resulting fiber is then woven or knitted to make cloth.
Problems
Oil is a large part of the production of synthetics. If you have ever tried to combine water with oil then you know that they don’t mix. Oils float to the top of the water in the container. In clothing made from oil, water is resisted rather than absorbed.
Synthetics absorbs less moisture than natural fibers. We tend to think of this as breathability in clothing. Natural fibers like cotton naturally absorb moisture from the body or wick, which makes a garment feel comfortable when you sweat. Synthetic fibers don’t wick and instead leave your skin feeling pretty icky. This is why people looked down on polyester in the 1970s. Although in the last couple of decades, there have been synthetics developed to wick moisture from the body. Many athletic wear companies use these improved synthetics to create performance wear.
Due to its lack of absorption, synthetics tend to collect static. If you have ever turned on a light after dragging your feet across a carpet (probably made with a synthetic called nylon) then you have experienced this static collection. Zip! The lack of absorption also means synthetics dry quickly.
Pilling, which is often mistaken as lint is a side product of abrasion to short strong fibers. These balls of fiber collect on garments made from synthetic fibers in areas that frequently experience friction like the thigh area of leggings (the thick thighs life, amirite?).
Besides the environmental problems it shares with all synthetics, nylon produces nitrous oxide during its creation. Nitrous oxide is 300x more potent than the notorious carbon dioxide.
Nylon
Nylon invented in the 1930s is the first synthetic fiber. It is also the strongest of all fiber. Your dog’s leash is most likely made of nylon. Parachute suits popular in the 1980s and 90s were made with nylon. It is also known for resisting abrasion so it is often used for carpet, furniture upholstery, footwear, lingerie, and luggage. When it is blended with wool, it makes the life of a workhorse garment like a sock last longer. It also can be stretched and reform back to its original shape.
This fiber can be shaped through high heat. For uses like drapes, that means pleats that look good forever.
In the 1940s, nylon was used for pantyhose and referred to as “nylons.” Pantyhose had previously been created from silk, which was expensive. Nylon proved to be a more affordable alternative. Once World War II broke out, the United States military needed nylon for parachutes and other uses, so women took to donating their pantyhose for the cause. They used makeup on their legs instead to give the effect of pantyhose. As you see, nylon can be formed into a variety of fabric textures.
Polyester
A great name for a drag queen, but not a great material for the Earth. Polyester is currently the most used fiber mostly for the aforementioned positive properties, like affordability. It is not as strong or resistant to abrasion as nylon. But it is better at retaining its shape than its predecessor. This means less wrinkling. In fact, polyester is marketed for its lack of wrinkles. When it is blended with cotton, wool, linen, or rayon it lends its positive properties, like less wrinkling and strength, to these natural fibers. The natural fibers lend their positive properties like wicking or absorbancy to the garment. It is a versatile fiber that can be used as fiberfill for pillows and silky fabrics.
Polyester Problems
Polyester is made of oil and it loves oil. So much so that if you drop your pizza on your shirt, the polyester fibers will keep the stain.
Like other synthetics, it does not absorb moisture. This is one of the reasons that polyester is so disliked. Often cheap nightclub clothing is made with polyester. Dancing + 100% polyester = sweaty chafing. And as a note from gynecologists, do not wear polyester underwear. Those pretty panties can cause yeast infections because it doesn’t allow your vagina to breathe. Let her breathe. To be fair, penises and testicles also need to breathe to avoid male yeast infection aka jock itch.
Photo by Vera Gorbunova
Acrylic
This fiber is known for its loftiness aka fluffiness. It often used as an affordable alternative to wool. You probably have sweaters made of acrylic. It is used for blankets too. And wigs! Lower priced wool tends to be itchy and acrylic is much smoother for wear. It is also stain-resistant. Products that are also acrylic are faux nails and paint. It is strong so it can hold up to more abrasion than its natural counterpart.
Acrylic Problems
Acrylic is not as warm as the wool fiber that it is posing as. It may have the look of wool but it really doesn’t compare to the warmth that wool can provide. Remember this when buying jackets, sweaters, or blankets (or comparing Uggs to Ugg knockoffs).
One advantage it has over wool is that it does not felt so you can easily throw it in the washing machine without care. But it is sensitive to heat in the tumble dryer. And it collects static like crazy.
Dyeing Synthetics At Home
Synthetics are known for their ability to achieve obnoxiously bright colors. Think of the psychedelic Pucci-wannabe prints of the late 1960s. Those crazy colors were achieved on polyester. Synthetics do not dye as easily as natural fibers. RIT created a line of dyes formulated for synthetics.
Synthetic Care & Storage
Synthetics don’t wrinkle which has made it such an easy to wear staple in our closets. You never have to touch an iron. If you do need to touch an iron to tackle the wrinkles that do occur, use a low-temperature setting. Synthetics are plastic. Plastic transforms through high heat. Melting is one of those transformations. If you are sewing synthetic fabrics, use a press cloth or a piece of clean cotton canvas between your iron and your fabric.
These plastic fibers do not handle steam or tumble dry well. The acrylic faux fur hood of your winter coat should never be put into the dryer unless you want to create a thermoplastic art project. Faux fur and dryers don’t mix. Wash them in a machine and then line dry.
In fact, synthetics should be hung to dry to retain their shape. Since heat transforms these fibers, they tend to change shape. This is why your synthetic or synthetic blended garments seem tighter when they are fresh from the dryer. You didn’t gain weight (or maybe you did). This heat transformation is shortening the life of your garment though.
Machine washing synthetics release microplastics into the water with every wash. These microplastics eventually end up in large bodies of water. Some people use bags to catch the microplastics during the washing process. Hand washing is believed to release less if any of these microplastics.
The Environment
Photo by Antoine GIRET
The production process of synthetics involves using important nonrenewable resources. Obviously, that is an issue. The other issue is after the garment or product is made and bought. Often synthetic fibers are used for cheap, short-lived items. Ironically, those items live forever in landfills. Just not in your closet. Those cheap items are often dyed with cheap pigments that often harm the environment. They are constructed cheaply which causes them not to hold up for long use.
The best way is to avoid all of this is to not buy this stuff in the first place. But that can be almost impossible when it comes to home fabrics or performance wear. Do the next best thing by keeping your synthetic or synthetic blend garments longer. Repair if you can or upcycle your clothing. If the garment is completely done for (old leggings) recycle it or donate to a textile artist.
When buying look for polyester made from post-consumer products. rPET is polyester made from plastic bottles.
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