ACRYLIC FABRIC BACKGROUND
Acrylic fiber was first created in 1941 by and it was called Orlon. It was only by the mid 1950’s that it was being made in large quantities. Acrylic fabric has served us well and still does today, however, as I am learning more about sustainability and fashion, I am beginning to understand the depth and breadth of our environmental impacts of the choices we make with the fabrics we choose. Acrylic Fabric has huge impacts on the environment.
Today, I am going to primarily talk about acrylic fabric. Take a quick peak in your closet. Have you checked your closet lately? I bet you have quite a few items that are made from either acrylic or polyester. These are synthetic fibers made from crude oil (fossil fuels). Acrylic fabrics are made from a synthetic polymer called acrylonitrile. It is produced by reacting certain petroleum or coal based chemicals with monomers.
ACRYLIC FABRIC CHARACTERISTICS
This fabric retains heat because it is not very breathable. Because of this we see it in hoodies, sweatshirts, tracksuits etc.
ACRYLIC FABRIC DESIGNED SIMILAR TO WOOL
Acrylic fabric can be designed similar to wool, and because of this it is used in many of the same applications. Cold weather clothing is made from acrylic to make gloves, scarves and sweaters. The acrylic fabric can mimic a thick or thin wool yarn. Acrylic is also popular for rugs, upholstery and so many other fabrics used in every day life. It can also be made to make beautiful faux fur! However, acrylic fabric has huge impacts on the environment.
Faux fur is made from acrylic, modacrylic and polyester. These fibers are made from chemical derived from coal and petroleum.
Currently China is leading the way in our global acrylic fabric production, producing more than 30% of the worlds acrylic fabric and apparel.
There are 4 types of acrylic fabrics and include acrylic, modoacrylic, nytril and lastrile. The differences between them include such things as their textures and feel, dye consumptive differences, the way they hang and their elasticity. Basically, for different applications there are different acrylics.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF ACRYLIC FABRIC
Acrylic Fabric has huge impacts on the ENVIRONMENT.
So what are the environmental impacts of Acrylic Fabric?
- Made of fossil fuels – made from petroleum and coal industry chemicals
- Not biodegradable – Since acrylic fabric is not biodegradable, the environmental impact on the planet is immense. Acrylic fabrics can last in a landfill for up to 200 years! Yikes!
- Production Processes are Harmful – The production processes used to make acrylic fabric are highly volatile, and production plants that manufacture this fiber are constantly at risk of exploding if safeguards fail. A variety of toxic substances are used in the production of acrylic fabric, and if these substances aren’t handled or disposed of correctly, they enter surrounding ecosystems and harm wildlife and human inhabitants. The gases produced in acrylonitrile manufacturing are so harmful that legislation requires they be properly filtered in a closed environment before they can leave a production facility.
- Not recyclable – it is practically impossible to recycle acrylic fabric, which means there is no way to dispose of acrylic garments
- Create Micro-plastics – these microscopic pieces of synthetic acrylic comes off these garments and end up in the ocean. More plastic in the ocean!
- Acrylic fabric takes a lot energy to create. It has been shown that large amounts of fossil fuels are needed to create acrylic clothing. A cradle to gate environmental impact assessment of acrylic fiber manufacturing (2016), in the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment completed by Dalia Yacout looked at many things including energy usage. Based on the studies results, it was concluded that acrylic fiber manufacturing is a high-energy consumption industry with the highest impact to be found on fossil fuel depletion and human health. Also according to O Ecotextiles, acrylic fiber is 30% more energy intensive than even polyester. For example, if you look at energy use in MJ/KG of fibers, it is shown that cotton is 55, polyester is 125 and acrylic is 175 and the most energy intensive fabric is nylon at 250. These results were taken from a LCA – New Zealand Merino Total Energy Use, by Barber and Pellow.
- Potentially carcinogenic (during acrylic fabric creation) – there is a lot of information on this great web of ours, however I have not found anything that is truly convincing that acrylic fabric is truly carcinogenic. I have reviewed multiple studies that indicate that acrylonitrile is hazardous including the NIOSH Guide to Chemical Substances. However, it is important to remember this is just the chemical that is used to make acrylic fibers, not the final fabric. That is why I have stated that it is potentially carcinogenic as it can be potentially carcinogenic to workers that create this fabric by working with acrylonitrile.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
So as you can see, acrylic fabrics have huge impacts on the environment. Try and avoid acrylic fabrics or buy clothing made from acrylic, second hand or at the thrift store! You can even try your hand in the construction of a new garment from an old one.
Wanting to be more sustainable and eco-friendly? If so check out this blog.
About the author:
Elizabeth cross is the founder and CEO of Moda Circolare, a sustainable fashion consulting agency. Moda Circolare, helps fashion and apparel brands embed sustainability into their current business strategies. Moda Circolare’s mandate is to help the fashion industry live in harmony with nature and they do this by working with clients conducting sustainability assessments, completing eco-certifications and improving their sustainability mandates.
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