\n<\/p>\n
Hugo Keane\u2019s investigation into polyester began at home. He had just started year 7 but, thanks to Covid, he was stuck knocking about at home in Camden, north London.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was kind of a family pandemic project,\u201d said his mother, Alexandra Milenov. \u201cHe sat down with my husband and did the calculations on the microplastic release of three items of his uniform: the blazer, the PE T-shirt and the shorts.\u201d<\/p>\n
What he found out was to significantly affect his school career.<\/p>\n
Almost every child in England spends about 195 days a year in uniform. They are not a legal requirement, but the Department for Education insists they promote \u201cthe ethos of a school\u201d, provide \u201ca sense of belonging and identity\u201d and set \u201can appropriate tone for education\u201d.<\/p>\n
But the widespread use of uniforms has a hidden cost: most of them are made from polyester, the synthetic, petroleum-derived fibre that is one of the world\u2019s most significant environmental pollutants, leading some to question our reliance on it, and whether it is a suitable fabric in which to dress our children.<\/p>\n
<\/span>A British advertisement for Terylene polyester fibre by ICI. The image was shot in 1957. <\/span> Photograph: Neil Baylis\/Alamy<\/p>\n Polyester, the \u201cmiracle fabric\u201d, was invented in Britain in the 1940s as a new synthetic fabric that followed the popularity of nylon in the 1930s. Thanks to its durability, economy and ease of production, it has come to dominate the global garment industry, and by 2023, 71.1m tonnes of polyester were produced around the world \u2013<\/strong> 57% of global textile production.<\/p>\n \u201cPolyester is, in fact, the most-used synthetic fabric globally,\u201d said Dr Melis Duyar, an associate professor in chemical and process engineering at the University of Surrey. \u201cSince there is no need to grow the fibres needed to make this fabric, it can be made cheaply and quickly in vast quantities, which is why it has become the fabric of choice for the fast fashion industry.\u201d<\/p>\n But in common with other petroleum-derived plastics, polyester is not biodegradable. \u201cWashing causes each item of clothing to shed tiny strands, or microfibres, which are carried down the drain and into our water systems,\u201d Duyar said. \u201cMicroplastics are particularly hard to remove from the environment and are easily ingested by organisms across the food chain.\u201d<\/p>\n The infiltration of these microfibres into the biosphere is now well known \u2013<\/strong> these insidious chemical pollutants have been detected from the Mariana Trench to the peak of Mount Everest, and in almost every organ of the human body. Researchers have estimated that synthetic textiles are responsible for 35% of the microplastics in the planet\u2019s oceans. But the long-term effects of them remain uncertain.<\/p>\n <\/span>A Sports Illustrated magazine advert from 1971.<\/span> Photograph: Patti McConville\/Alamy<\/p>\n At home, using a Plymouth University study which estimated that between 700 and 4,000 microplastic fibres are released per gram in a single wash, Hugo calculated that just a year\u2019s worth of washing and everyday wear of the uniforms worn by the 125 boys in his year would shed 6.4bn plastic microfibres.<\/p>\n When school Covid restrictions ended, Hugo presented his findings at his student council and in class. Teachers were enthusiastic about his advocacy, and helped him take it to the headteacher and the board of governors. \u201cAnd you know everyone was very supportive and excited about his work,\u201d said Milenov. Meanwhile, she had managed to source a cotton alternative to nearly every item of school uniform, but not the blazer, which in any case had been temporarily waived for fear that such an infrequently washed item would be a vector for Covid transmission.<\/p>\n Milenov lobbied the school, but the headteacher was not interested in changing direction, and by the time Hugo entered year 8, William Ellis reimposed all uniform requirements, including the wearing of its polyester blazer. \u201cWe wrote to the head of year 8, and we attached Hugo\u2019s presentation, and we said for environmental reasons, and because we want to support our son\u2019s advocacy, we are unable to purchase or have him wear polyester items in the school uniform,\u201d said Milenov.<\/p>\n Her persistence worked; Hugo was granted an exemption. The school agreed that his objections to the pollution caused by polyester schoolwear had the status of a protected belief. To forestall disciplinary action from over-keen teachers, he was issued with a card: \u201cNotification of non-compliance with school uniform,\u201d reason: \u201cSustainability ethical issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Hugo became his school\u2019s \u2013 and perhaps the country\u2019s \u2013 first conscientious objector to school uniform. But he is not unique in expressing concerns about the synthetic fabrics used for uniforms.<\/p>\n <\/span>Some parents have opted to buy school uniform in organic cotton to avoid the use of synthetic fabrics.<\/span> Photograph: Loop Images Ltd\/Alamy<\/p>\n Nazia Habib\u2019s daughter, Monica, was a pandemic baby and came through bouts of Covid before she was able to walk. \u201cWe only have one child and we want to give the best like all parents,\u201d Habib said. \u201cWe wanted to make sure not only that the food that she eats is good, but the clothes that she wears are also very healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n Habib, a professor at the University of Cambridge and the director and founder of its Centre for Resilience and Sustainable Development, studies synthetic materials supply chains and advises the textile recycling industry. Naturally, for her own family, she chose cotton and other natural fibres. But when Monica started school, Habib found that choice taken away. Even at the age of five, pupils were required to wear a polyester uniform, branded with the school\u2019s insignia, and available from just a single supplier.<\/p>\n \u201cPolyester [clothes] in general are not very good for skin,\u201d Habib said. \u201cThey are OK for a short period of time if you are going for hikes, jogging, or you want to be very, very warm, so you have polyester jackets. But on a daily basis, for a long period of time, [wearing] polyester means that your skin is not able to breathe.<\/p>\n \u201cUnbreathable children\u2019s skin basically means that you\u2019re sweating your dust and dirt and everything is getting stuck to you, and if you have a child with a skin problem then it\u2019s going to worsen the symptoms.<\/p>\n \u201cNumber two, there is already now more than enough evidence that shows that polyester also releases microplastics, and by rubbing and using it on a daily basis you are inhaling the microplastics.<\/p>\n \u201cMy daughter also had multiple Covid, so her lungs were already weakened. So as a conscious, academic parent I could not imagine giving her more polyester so that she has more micro[-fibre] sedimentation in her young lungs, because you can never process those microplastics out of your body.\u201d<\/p>\n Habib was finally able to reason with her daughter\u2019s school and its supplier. She provided the cotton garments \u2013 bought easily online \u2013 and the supplier provided the school\u2019s logos to apply to them.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/p>\n The planet’s most important stories. Get all the week’s environment news – the good, the bad and the essential<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.<\/span><\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n An emerging body of research suggests the harms from polyester may go beyond microplastic pollution, and that such harms can be particularly severe for children.<\/p>\n Sarah Dunlop, the director of plastics and human health at the Minderoo Foundation, an Australian philanthropic organisation, explained that to make plastic work properly other chemicals needed to be added: \u201cPlasticisers, flame retardants, UV stabilisers, you name it. The first flaw is that those chemicals are not covalently, or not strongly bonded, to the polymer, so they leach out and they get into us and harm our health. The second flaw is that plastic fragments [break] into micro and even smaller nanoplastics.\u201d<\/p>\n Phthalates, for example, are often used to make plastics more flexible and durable and a 2020 study of preschool children\u2019s clothing by scientists in China found them in all samples examined. But some phthalates are an endocrine disruptor and have been linked to a decline in sperm counts worldwide: the EU and US have been so concerned about the effects they may have on children that they have restricted their use in toys, childcare items and food packaging.<\/p>\n Another endocrine disrupting chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), is used in the textile industry in polyester-based clothing to improve the lifespan of fabrics, to add moisture-wicking or anti-static properties, or to fix dyes. Researchers and campaigners have found high levels of it in sportswear, or in the recycled polyester that is sometimes used in \u2018eco-friendly\u2019 school uniform items. This chemical has been banned for use in food contact materials by the EU, although the US continues to judge it safe.<\/p>\n Manufacturers are also coating children\u2019s clothes in even more chemicals once they are made. \u201cWe see in a lot of childrenswear especially, that we put a lot more into it than we would potentially on other products,\u201d said David Megson, a reader in chemistry and environmental forensics at Manchester Metropolitan University.<\/p>\n \u201c[In] trying to make it stain resistant, trying to make it water resistant, trying to make it flame retardant \u2026 we get a lot of additives that are added within that process.\u201d<\/p>\n I feel like there\u2019s so little I can do. I can\u2019t find out what\u2019s in these products, so I can\u2019t make an informed choice<\/p>\n Suppliers are not required to reveal the ingredients used to formulate their plastic fibres and garment coatings, even for children\u2019s clothes. And even when they do, details can be unclear. Often it is only laboratory analysis that can reveal what we are dressing our children in.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish I had more say over what I could dress my daughter in,\u201d said Megson, who also recently bought his daughter a school uniform. \u201cI\u2019d rather take my chances on having something that isn\u2019t flame retardant, because she\u2019s not smoking and to me there\u2019s a very low risk of my daughter catching fire, so I don\u2019t really think she needs a flame retardant pair of knickers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe same with the stain resistance, like she spills something on her I\u2019ll wipe it off. I\u2019d much rather have that minor inconvenience than increase her risk of developing a serious disease later in life and hampering her potential fertility.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really annoys me. I feel like there\u2019s so little I can do about it because I can\u2019t find out what is in these products, so I can\u2019t make an informed choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Specialist retailers exist that supply basic school uniform items in organic cotton, but these can be expensive and they do not solve the problem of the liveried garments that so many schools now insist on.<\/p>\n A new children\u2019s and schools bill going through parliament will restrict the number of branded items a school can prescribe to just four, but some say it could go further. Peers including Rosie Boycott and Natalie Bennett have tabled amendments that would ban the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) or \u201cforever chemicals\u201d and polyester in school uniforms, but look to be defeated by the government.<\/p>\n Bennett said she backed parents who were prepared to face down schools that prescribed uniform items made of polyester. But, she added: \u201cWhen you think about the inequality in our society and the health inequality in our society, the time, the access to information, the chutzpah to do that sort of thing is not equally spread around society.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s great any parent who\u2019s able to do it absolutely. But what I\u2019m trying to do is start at the structural end and say no school should be prescribing, that\u2019s kind of the right word, that their children wear unhealthy clothes that are bad for their health.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it shouldn\u2019t be up to individual parents to have to fight their corner.\u201d<\/p>\n Hugo is now in sixth form, and no longer needs to wear a blazer. But \u201cparents can refuse\u201d, said Milenov. \u201cThe law protects people who believe that they need to take action to protect the environment.\u201d That\u2019s if, after a long summer, parents have the energy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hugo Keane\u2019s investigation into polyester began at home. He had just started year 7 but, thanks to Covid, he was stuck knocking about at home in Camden, north London. \u201cIt was kind of a family pandemic project,\u201d said his mother, Alexandra Milenov. \u201cHe sat down with my husband and did the calculations on the microplastic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[336,343,11899,3259,6387,334,9868],"class_list":{"0":"post-19430","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education","8":"tag-british","9":"tag-childrens","10":"tag-inhaling","11":"tag-microplastics","12":"tag-plastics","13":"tag-school","14":"tag-uniforms"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19430\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}