No fabric is perfect. Here is what each one costs the planet, and what to look for.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
Is cotton sustainable?
Conventional cotton needs a lot of water and is often grown with heavy pesticide use. Organic cotton bans synthetic pesticides and fertilisers and is usually rain-fed, but it is a small share of the world’s cotton and yields less per field. Recycled cotton reuses waste but has shorter fibres, so it is usually blended. Look for GOTS or OCS certification.
What about polyester?
Polyester is made from oil and now accounts for more than half of all fibre produced. It is cheap, strong and uses little water, but it sheds microplastics and does not biodegrade. Recycled polyester sounds better, yet almost all of it comes from plastic bottles rather than old clothes, which takes bottles out of a system that could already recycle them. We wrote about why polyester became an insult.
Which fibres have the lightest touch?
Linen (from flax) and hemp grow with little water or pesticide and get softer with age. Lyocell, sold as Tencel, is made from wood pulp in a closed loop that recovers almost all its solvent. Ordinary viscose, also made from wood, has been linked to deforestation and toxic chemical processing, so look for responsibly sourced versions certified by FSC.
So what should I choose?
How long you wear something matters more than the fibre. A well-made wool coat worn for 15 years beats an organic cotton T-shirt worn twice. Single-fibre garments are easier to recycle than blends. For the basics of each fibre, see Fabrics 101 and Luxury Fibres.
Read on Ayerhs: 2026 Is the Year of Materials That Matter · Gen Z and Polyester