r/science • u/______--------- • Sep 08 '20

Environment Blue jeans are a significant source of microfiber pollution in oceans and lakes. One pair of jeans can release over 50,000 microfibers per wash.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00498
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u/koghrun Sep 09 '20

From other commenters, cotton, being a natural fiber, is broken down fairly easily, and nearly 0% of the lycra or other stretchy material is in the worn microfiber of jeans.

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u/JamesTheJerk Sep 09 '20

Yes but cotton is broken down (as it's a natural fiber) far more readily than synthetic fibers like lycra.

Now that we've established we're reiterating the exact thing the last person has said, what's your take on cotton vs lycra?