What's better for the environment, cotton or polyester clothing?
What clothing is best to buy if you want to consider the environment? That question isn't so easy to answer. You have to consider the entire life cycle of a garment: from production to the moment we dispose of it. In the segment 'What's better?' of the radio programme Living Planet, environmental scientist Laura Scherer answers the question: What's better, clothing made of cotton or polyester?
'Cotton is better,' say the people on the street. Why? 'Because it's natural, better for the skin, because it's biodegradable.' However, some caveats are mentioned. 'It depends on whether it's recycled polyester, and how the cotton is produced. Is it done organically, for example?"
Together with Finnish researcher Susanne Horn and Textile Exchange's Climate and Strategy Director Beth Jensen, Scherer tries to find an answer the question.
Listen to the entire segment on DW.com: Living Planet: What's better cotton or polyester clothing?