I hate to burst your bubble but even if labeled 100% natural fibers it rarely is. I do tie dye and the dye simply won’t stick to the fabric if there is any synthetic fabric. It’s not uncommon to receive 100% cotton and you can tell right away by the muting of the dye that it’s only a 50% blend at best. I know it doesn’t help. But I thought I would mention as I assumed that’s what this post would really be touching on.
Best regards

Do you want scratchy polyester or polyester blends scratching up your private parts? Don’t believe the lies manufacturers and advertisers are trying to push polyester as soft and comfortable. Most people know it is not. This has been corrupted into the bedding and arts and crafts sectors too. I can’t wear anything that has polyester in them, I am allergic to it. My only option in the future if this carries on is no clothing.

I sew as much as I can and a few months ago realised how100% cotton is not always true. I went to buy cotton thread, which is getting more and more difficult to find, in this country and landed up having to pay 6 pounds 50 pence for a small reel of cotton whilst I could have got a huge reel of polyester thread for 2 pounds. So are clothing factories abroad, being as all clothes are now made abroad, using cotton thread or polyester thread in 100% cotton goods. I fear it is akin to your plastic buttons. When that cotton material rots there will be miles of polyester thread strangling goodness knows what in our oceans. I am also finding less and less cotton clothes in this country while Seville still has loads of cotton clothes according to my kids. Do you know why please?

Always bought 100% cotton shirts for years….cool, light and just perfect….noticed recently that these shirts now feel like their poly cousins, hot, heavy, uncomfortable and horrible….hrs of research later I’ve found that all “natural” fabrics are now swimming in Formaldehyde which is made from ….Oil!
This compound is toxic, bad and negates any benefits cotton has by blocking up the pores stopping it from breathing.

An autist goes shopping

I was really hoping you wrote this last month and I could pop over to Target for that jacket! My baby is allergic to synthetic fabrics, like I’ve had to remove the rugs and cover the furniture. Someone mentioned that even organic clothing has polyester thread, which wasn’t a problem until recently. His little ankles have been red and swollen and I just realized it’s because his organic cotton sleeper has huge, amazing POLYESTER seams that he rub, rub, rubs on his ankles when he’s trying to scratch. In my search, I’m finding I will have to take up sewing because I don’t have a mini fortune to have someone do it for me! Anyway, the thread, plastic is holding all of your cotton together!

I’m trying to find out why some of the new 100% cotton knit T-shirts I’ve purchased are suddenly much more stretchy—as if they were part spandex. Possibly they’ve developed a new way to knit fabric, but I suspect that the definition of “100%” is what is being s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d. Does anyone have some insight into this?

It’s bad enough if you’re trying to stay way from plastic and all its man made derivatives for the environments sake,try staying away from it because you’re allergic and break out in hives and rash! It’s going on 3 yrs. now and everything from clothing to furniture to accessories and so much more to avoid or replace. It’s been a nightmare. What has so called modernization done to our society.

I would love to have real cotton towels that can be bleached as in years gone by so when something is stained you can get the stain out. You cannot stain most of the so-called cotton washcloths anymore as they are called algon cotton, whatever the hell that is!!!

I know exactly how you feel Beth. I have OCD and I am obsessed with
clothing and removing synthetic materials, I’m so glad I’ve found this
post.
Let’s remove as much harmful materials (to the environment and potentially us) as we possibly can in our lifetimes.

Au naturel is the way to go ahaa

for those who said the beads look like glass. a good test for whether something is glass or plastic is to bite it– lightly, like you would gold (but don’t bite your gold jewelry, it might leave a dent). it will feel hard on your teeth and make a sound, you can compare it to biting plastic to see the difference. also, glass is colder to the touch than plastic is. I’m sure beth is well adept at sighting plastic by now, but if it’s ever in question, biting it will give you the right answer.
about the jacket, do you think the tag is plastic as well? because I don’t think tags are normally made of cotton, they wear out too fast. I personally have an addiction to polyester (specifically vintage 70’s collared shirts), but I always get them second hand so I’m ok with it. I also am an avid thrift store shopper and I made the decision to only buy secondhand clothes. not only are there the problems of plastic and child labor and industrial pollution, etc, but the sheer volume of clothing (like everything else) that is produced is probably enough to clothe everyone on the earth for the next hundred (or longer?) years, so I don’t want to contribute to the demand for new clothing. I know there are people who try to eliminate plastic entirely for the sake of their health, but I have a love hate relationship with it as well, and wouldn’t want to part with all of my colorful plastic treasures.

and what of the thread??

They used to make buttons out of shell – the mississippi is littered with shells from 80 years ago full of neatly punched button-sized holes. I wonder if there isn’t a manufacturer making those somewhere – when we were in the Hebrides, in Scotland, we found a giant mountain of shells (uh…clams?) near a seafood-processing plant.

I wonder if there’s a way to harvest Zebra Mussels or one of the other invasive species without harming the native shellfish, various places – there’s enough Zebra Mussels around here to button up millions of jackets.

Having had cancer….. And an estimated 60%+ will have cancer. The best thought is how can we find ways to not tax our immune systems. I guess the discussions are really about life and health, and cancer ridden deaths by a large number of our population versus “real health reform”. When it comes to toxic additions to our biochemical mechanisms “Less is more”.

We use coconut buttons on our reusable gift sacks (which are 100% cotton).

Your post got me wondering whether natural buttons are easy to find on retail clothing. A little bit of online searching has me thinking maybe not. I did find Hawaiian shirts with coconut buttons, but you might not want to wear those everyday in your line of work.

Beth, have you heard about the rashes being caused by tagless labels on baby clothing? Seems these labels are plastic and it’s likely that pthalates are the cause of some heartbreaking reactions on babies.

I’ve just recently started paying attention to clothing labels after realizing how hypocritical it was to avoid plastic packaging and yet be buying *new* clothing that was made of 100% polyester! I must admit though that one of my favorite dresses is made of 100% polyester and one of the reasons I love it so much is that it never wrinkles… However, I am trying to be more ardent about paying attention to clothing labels as shopping for clothes is one of my downfalls.

I did however find some “ecco” athletic wear at Sports Basement in the Presidio. And I am looking at the labels just for you:

t-shirt – 100% organic cotton – made in USA and very cute I might add
“cool-fit t-shirt – 68% bamboo lyocell (?), 27% cotton, 5% spandex
workout top with built in bra (not best support but for yoga etc if fine – not so much for running) – 95% bamboo and 5% spandex
workout pants – can’t find label but most likely synthetic fibers

I’m guessing spandex is synthetic but thought it was kind of cool that they are able to make clothing out of bamboo.

@Pavlina, thanks for pointing out “Exclusive of Decoration.” Sometimes I think I’m blind or just see what I expect to see. I didn’t even notice that! And thanks for pointing out the info about the thread. It’s not that I’m going to avoid sewn clothing! It’s just good to be aware.

Regarding Patagonia’s recycled plastic clothing: I’m skeptical. Why? Because in the film “Addicted to Plastic,” a Patagonia rep said that they put all kinds of plastic in their clothing — including old shower curtains. Um… that’s PVC. Very toxic. I just don’t want to walk around in that stuff. I lean more towards Chantal’s point of view (who commented above.)

Smartwool. Can’t say enough nice things about their socks. I have super sweaty, cold feet. (Mom has stories about changing my socks as often as my diapers.) Hanukkah Harry (aka my wonderful husband) gets me a few new pairs every year. I just bought a Smartwool base layer at TJ Maxx for $26. Awesome deal that I can’t wait to try out. That said, I’m a sucker for microfiber underthings. It gets hot in the South, and the wicking makes a world of difference.

You make a very good point. If you notice on the tag, it does say “exclusive of decoration”. I have more very bad news for you. That 100% cotton coat (minus the trim (buttons)) was sewn with 100% polyester thread. It is very rare to have a garment sewn with anything else. As a matter of fact, and this is something that those who routinely dye their own clothing know, you must go out of your way to find clothes made with cotton thread (that will dye evenly with the rest of the garment). best case scenario, you’ll have a cotton thread core, wrapped in polyester.

EcoYogini – Patagonia does have a recycling program for items like their recycled plastic fleece at the end of it’s life. Honestly though, I have one of their recycled fleece items that I’ve been using very regularly (I rotate between it and a couple of other ‘over’ shirts, every day) for over 4 years now.

Beth – Although I know most of the clothing at Ross is somewhat questionable, the first time I tried on a pair of Simple brand shoes was at Ross and I bought them on the spot (for $15!) They are part of their green toe line and are made out of recycled tires, hemp and organic cotton, among other earth friendly and plastic-free materials.

What bothers me most with plastic clothing is the fact that when the clothing degrades over time, it releases dust like particles of plastic in the environment, and then you breathe it all in, especially in the winter when windows are closed. It is especially important that curtains be 100% natural. But they are so hard to find in mainstream stores. I have to make them from scratch.

Wool is good – but alas, I am highly allergic to it. I break out in a hideous itchy rash all over my body. I have tried every form of wool available but no luck. Some of us just can’t wear wool; wish I could. I guess I could wear caribou hide or beaver pelts…………..like my ancestors..!!?? Would that be better – although, as a vegan, that would be problematic . . . .

yep Beth- Patagonia creates some fantastic ‘eco’ friendly non-plastic options for performance clothing. However- about the recycled plastic fleece- not so sure how I feel about that. I’m pretty positive the process of turning plastic into fabric is similar to the toxic process that (most) bamboo fibres are made. Also- what do you do with the fleece at the end of it’s life? Is it recyclable? cuz it’s not like I’m going to wear the jacket forever….

Hi, everyone. Just some quick comments here for clarification.

I should have mentioned in the first paragraph that I generally ALWAYS buy my clothes second-hand, which is why it was so odd for me to be shopping at Target. Goodwill is my Macy’s. But at the time that I got a bug up by butt to buy an appropriate jacket for L.A., (where it’s not as chilly as it is in the Bay Area) it was already getting late and Target was the only clothing store open and near BART. It was stupid, I know. But like I said, none of us is perfect.

To someone who said they are from the really cold North, what about humanely-raised wool? That has kept people warm and wicked moisture for centuries or more.

As far as performance clothing goes, I am going to research this. I have a feeling that there are some companies out there creating technical wear out of wool and other fabrics.

As far as the beads looking like glass, I think that’s just the fault of my camera. In real life, they look and feel nothing like glass. And that shirt was one I bought years and years ago, probably from Ross (a very cheap store) where I doubt the clothing has real glass beads.

As far as donating them, I could do that, but I kind of like Rob’s idea of adding some jewelry to my plastic sea monster costume.

Beth

I do think those beads in the above photo are probably glass. I did a lot of bead work when I was younger and had glass beads similar to that. I think the rule of thumb for stuff like this is that when you know better you do better, and you don’t dwell on what’s already been done. Although, that’s easier said, isn’t it. . .

How about if you buy your clothes second hand? I try to buy second hand because no new resources are being used. And it is cheaper too!!!! I just bought a pair of Speedo bike pants and Old Navy trackpants for $2. I have even started buying Xmas and birthday presents for the kids at the thrift store. Sure… made of plastic but again… no new resources.

How well I know that feeling of being overwhelmed by plastic. Sadly, the first person who posted (ZoeV) is correct. Trying to convince people is next to impossible. A family member who had breast cancer still eats food stored in plastic containers (including those with fats and oils) and ignores my pleas to stop using products from containers with BPA. It’s all around us, and it will take more than education: what we need is a group of brilliant researchers to come up with a product made from weeds and grass combined with glass to surpass plastic as a storage device.

To avoid depression, I try to think about the little bit that I am doing, but yeah the computer I am typing into is made of plastic too.

String the beads together and make a necklace to add to the Plastic Monster. PM Needs a necklace

The beads are probably glass but the sequins are very likely plastic.

Buttons are made from plastic so that you don’t have to cut them off and re-sew them with every washing as you would with costly wood, horn, glass, and shell buttons. I do this with homemade sweaters but there’s no way I could do that with clothes for a family of 5. I buy 95% of my family’s shoes and clothing used and try not to worry too much.

Funny fact: I was in Target the other day buying socks (because I can’t knit fast enough to keep growing teens in socks!) and noticed that Target is now selling fused shopping bags made from their own recycled bags. I guess it’s better than sending them to the landfill, but it made me laugh. You can make your own (assuming you have any plastic shopping bags around anymore). https://makezine.com/2007/08/02/plastic_bag_crafts/

There are people like me that pick up and random buttons we see on the streets, tucking them into our pockets and adding them to our button stash for future button replacements or projects. (Oddly enough, a similar thing has happened with the reflectors on my bicycle pedals. They have a tendency to migrate out of the petal structure and there is nothing to hold them in place. When I tried to find a replacement and visited the shop where I bought the bike, they didn’t have any replacements! In the meantime I started paying attention and I have managed to find 3 of the same reflectors that I lost. I guess it’s a more common problem than I originally thought.)

I’ve been somewhat obsessed with the idea of making buttons out of wood or other natural materials after buying a pair of Simple Brand shoes with coconut buttons! I need to do more research before buying any tools, but that doesn’t help anything too large scale.

I’m surprised you’d get gotten. It’s the most pesticide laden crop imaginable. You can’t find a hemp jacket in Oakland?

Good thing you live where it’s warm. Cotton Jacket? Brrrr

I’m fairly new to Fakeplasticfish. Love it! And I love this post because details like little this and thats and beads, do count. Plastic is usually made with chlorine (unless it’s one of the newer plastics that are nonchlorinated plastics). So many things usually require chlorine to be made….plastics, pesticides, paper, dry cleaning solvents, many fabrics, etc. etc. These are all in the organochlorine class and as such, can create toxic byproducts at various stages in their product life–most commonly at the manufacturing and disposal stages. We are using a lot of plastic. Has anyone or any community been collecting big feed bags to use instead of those big trash bags?

Thanks so much for all the great discussions!

I always recycle buttons and beads as I use them for crafts etc. My problem is running out of them :) It would be nice to be able to afford the wooden/metal/ceramic types but they are just too expensive.

I’m of the opinion that if you can use something for long term – and by that I mean generations – plastic is acceptable. I still use the plastic cups my grandma used for example. What I object to is the short term wastefulness with not even a recycle thought of.

viv in nz

I’m going to ‘fess up, after reading this, and you’re going to hate me now, I swear.

I just did the shopping (no I brought my own bags), and then, when I got home, spend five minutes emptying bulk pasta (half kilo bags – about 1.1 pounds) from plastic bags into our bulk plastic Tupperware storage containers.

As I did it, I couldn’t help thinking how stupid it is that even when we try to buy bulk, we’re surrounded by plastic. But our local bulk food shop doesn’t sell readymade pasta, and with two preschoolers, I don’t have time to make it myself, not with preschoolers and one of *them* with autism.

I thought of you, while doing it. And came here, and see you doing so much better.

Am I failing? How do I avoid plastic completely, with kids? Is it even possible? Is it sane to try?

“Me and my seam ripper, having a little freak-out anti-plastic party. Is that extreme or what?” Yes and no. Yes, it’s extreme in that most people wouldn’t care that much and so they wouldn’t do it. No. It’s you walking your talk.

“I think you have a little too much time on your hands”, is what Bart wrote. From what I see of your life, I don’t think you have any extra time on your hands. Bart doesn’t realize that if you don’t want plastic on your clothes and you can take it off your clothes, you will do that and not do something else.

Clif – re your crutches and leg braces: you could try ICROSS (Google it) – they accept medical supplies to help the poorest of the poor in Africa and are totally non-profit. Barring that – how about Goodwill or the Salvation Army? Do you have them in the US? Or try Freecycle.

Re plastic buttons: I too have a “button box” that I inherited from my mother and she probably inherited it from someone else – there are loads and loads of buttons in it – probably a lot of plastic ones – but I have never had to buy a new button. I also cut off buttons from old or worn out garments – I never throw a button away.

Laura – I also like “synthetic fibres” for outdoor activities, particularly microfibres. They do wick moisture away from the body and keep you warm in the frigid temperatures. I live in the frozen North!! The REALLY frozen North!

I also often feel that we are drowning in plastic – drowning in “stuff” in general – and make an effort to avoid it as much as possible but – well – I do wear contact lenses . . . I don’t know what my “mouse” and keyboard – heck the whole computer – are made of. I suspect there are plastic bits there.

I don’t know how you do it, Beth, but you are inspirational and sure make me think!

@Beany and Zoe V. I’m not sure about other parts of the country, but here in Chicago there is plastic bag recycling at many other places besides Whole Foods, including Jewel (grocery) and Target plus bunches of other places I’ve been in.

I’m not sure what happens to them at other places, but I know at Target, they turn it into new Target bags.

I agree you should donate your old beads to someone who will use them because your used beads will allow them to buy fewer new plastic beads. Freecycle is great for this.

As far as plastic in clothing, I have lots of synthetic clothing because I like snowboarding, sailing, hinking, camping, and other outdoor activities that I think I need them for. You could do these activities in natural fibers, but I like that polyester and other synthetic fibers dry quickly when wet so if it’s cold out you won’t get too cold from rain, sweat, etc. You can change your clothes quiakcly after a run, but try camping in the rain and wearing all cotton – you’ll be wet and miserable the whole time (and possibly hypothermic!). I can justify this by saying that I buy high quality clothing that will last a very long time, I wear it until it literally can not be worn anymore, and it allows me to enjoy nature more, which gives me more reason to want to protect it.

Honestly, I haven’t really considered the plastic in clothing, beyond the cheap plastic hangers and tagging that often accompany it. Kid’s clothing, in particular, often comes with these weird plastic hangers that aren’t really re-usable in any way.

I do opt for natural fibers when I can. I especially love bamboo. And I’m not really into embellishments. But I don’t sweat buttons. When the clothes wear out I keep the buttons and use them in crafting. I have 50-year-old plastic buttons, and they’re still good. On the one hand, that’s sort of alarming. But on the other hand, they’re not ending up in the landfill and I’m not buying new ones, so I can live with it.

Also, I understand how this stuff can drive you crazy. Going to someplace like Target is sort of mind-blowing and discouraging. But voices like yours are valuable, and you are making a difference, even if you can’t always see it. You’ve certainly made me think about things I hadn’t before, and I’m not the only one.

Beth, as you know I think Twitter is nutty. I’d never want to be following Tom Cruise or Lindsay Lohan. But YOU just might be interesting enough to follow!

Those little plastic bits are probably the most dangerous in being most likely to be eaten. As long as the plastic is going to a landfill where it will be buried for eons at least it stays out of animal tummies.

An aside on re-usability. I have a brand new pair of aluminum crutches and two brand new leg braces (strap on with Velcro, holds knee immobile). We all hear about how expensive medical care is, well I cannot find anyplace to take these things and it’s crazy to throw them out. I’ll throw in a friction sock and a cold-pack. Do any FPF readers know of a place that takes such medical supply donations? I’m even up for shipping to another country.

Beany-You just cannot fix stupid.
Beth-I think its great you are doing this. Its crazy how plastic can literally leach into your home without even noticing. I have a hard time with plastic because of my vintage Tupperware habbit I have. I have many vintage counter top containers that are plastic as well. I just cannot part with them. Why? Because I do not heat any of them up. Its a love hate relationship I have with plastic.
Kudo’s for you Beth!

@Beany ~ you can take your unwanted plastic bags to Whole Foods store near you. They are the only ones I am aware of recycling plastic bags. I take with me all of my plastic bags and wrapping when I go for my weekly grocery shopping.

I agree with Kathy G. Either reuse the bead to make something for yourself or offer them to a crafter/jewelery maker.

Honestly I usually only hone in on the plastic button problem when I sew and need buttons, especially if it’s a historical piece. It’s getting harder to find metal buttons which are usually what I need in a traditional fabric store. However it may be changing. I saw a line of ceramic buttons and the same company makes buttons from recycled plastic and recycled paper. I emailed the company for details and hope to blog about it soon.

When I think about all the plastic I’m still trying to not use (ahem, take-out styrofoam), I’m kind of meh on things like plastic buttons.

But, plastic is plastic. And since not many of us are going to pass down our plastic buttons (much less our plastic clothes) to future generations, that means those plastic buttons could become part of the NPG. And in the stomachs of fish. And in our own stomachs…

I don’t think concern over the smallest amounts of plastic is silly anymore, especially when such an easy alternative exists.

I remember back in my university days buying many items from Value Village. One of the best things about it was you could find some really great natural fabrics and they were so cheap. One of my friends actually found a beautiful, cream coloured wool coat with wood buttons and silk/satin lining for three dollars. The same friend also made a lovely old-fashioned cape out of an old wool blanket. I think finding these things in conventional stores is close to impossible, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I am thinking back on it now and wondering now if I could find myself something along these lines.

you saved me from going to target today for a jacket.
my old one is cotton and will last for many more years,
but i keep thinking i need something more rain friendly.
what is not plastic yet repels rain? anything?

oh dear, i am sure even my seam ripper is plastic. yours
look like glass.

You can donate your beads and LOADS of other stuff to S.C.R.A.P. http://www.scrap-sf.org/ – Scroungers Center for Reusable Art Parts. They are an NPO who accepts donations and even will pick up for free by appt [in certain areas, I’m sure]. You could just put that in an envelope and mail it.

Here is a link of things that are in demand to them and a wish list – you’ll see beads on that list!

You know those file folders I was trying to get you to take a while back? Well, we donated to them.

I think those buttons are glass – usually that is what those kind of little buttons are made of…