Laundry & clothing
Synthetic fleece and activewear → natural fibres (as you replace)
Synthetic clothes shed microfibres in every wash. Replace them with natural fibres as they wear out — don't bin good clothes.
Swap Priority
52/100
Worth doing
Swap Priority 52 out of 100: Worth doing- Plastic avoided
- ≈ 1.5 kg a year
- Typical cost
- Varies
- Swap from
- Polyester, nylon and acrylic clothing
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
How strong is the evidence?
How the dials work- Exposure evidenceHow strong is the evidence that the plastic version exposes you to microplastics or plastic chemicals?
- Emerging · 2/4
- Environmental evidenceHow strong is the evidence that this swap cuts environmental harm over the product's whole life?
- Strong · 4/4
- Claim verificationHow well has the alternative's plastic-free claim been verified?
- No product yet
Why swap
Synthetic fabrics shed hundreds of thousands of plastic fibres per wash, and fibres in household dust are a likely route for inhaled microplastics.
What to look for
- 100% natural fibres — cotton, wool, linen, hemp, silk
- Second-hand natural-fibre clothing
- Wash cooler, fuller and less often in the meantime
Watch out for
- Blends with even 5% elastane are part plastic
- Microfibre-catching wash bags are themselves plastic, though they reduce shedding