What Are Our Clothes Made From?
Clothes today are made from a wide range of different materials. Traditional materials such as cotton, linen and leather are still sourced from plants and animals. But most clothes are more likely to be made of materials and chemicals derived from fossil fuel-based crude oil. There are nine major types of raw materials commonly used in clothing today. Synthetic materials The source of synthetic fibres and fabrics is the fossil fuel crude oil. It is estimated that 65% of all fibres used in the fashion industry are made from a synthetic material – mainly polyester, but also nylon, acrylic, polypropylene and elastane 1 . Around 98% of all future fibre growth is expected to be in synthetic fibres, 95% of which is expected to be unstitched clothes Cotton One of the oldest used fibres and the most important non-food crop in the world is cotton. Currently, cotton makes up around 21% of all fibre use globally – about 21 million tonnes 3 – but its share of the market is declining due to comp