Yoga pants may be comfy, but they're destroying the ocean. It turns out clothing that uses synthetic fibers, which includes yoga pants, Patagonia’s cozy jackets, and sweat-wicking athletic wear, shed what's called microfibers when washed. Eventually, those fibers make their way to natural waterways and oceans.
While there was a federal ban on microbeads in face wash and other personal products, that only covered about 7% of plastic Florida Microplastic Awareness Project found off the Florida keys. A whopping 82% of plastic was from those pesky microfibers.
The new wave of research on the effects of microfibers has led to companies, including Patagonia, to support more studies on the pollution synthetic fibers cause.
Source: New York Post