Washing our clothes pollutes the oceans: what to do?

Why is this (really) not good news?

The consequences are first and foremost for our apple, us Men. The problem manifests itself first… on our plates . To give you an idea, for 300 grams of mussel flesh, we ingest on average 300 plastic microparticles!

But still, if it was only that, we could only blame ourselves. The thing is that this pollution impacts a lot of living organisms that didn't ask anyone for anything. The fish are taking a toll and the marine plants are seriously showing off. The entire aquatic ecosystem suffers. And this causes a collapse of biodiversity : alteration of the development of corals, devastation on the behavior, on the development, on the physiology and on the reproduction of a whole range of species. In short, not tiptop.

Good. We reassure you, a good part of the particles are still intercepted in the treatment of wastewater . But not everything and not everywhere! Depending on the continent, the requirements are not the same, and above all, it is not (yet) done in all countries. In any case, remember that it remains difficult to stop the smallest particles , anywhere.

Solutions for washing your clothes while polluting less.

Let's get back to our subject. Or rather to our washing machines. One of the things that pollutes the oceans when we wash our clothes is laundry detergent .

Beware, laundry detergent marketing is misleading . He likes to make us believe that his product is natural or even “ecological” (if we refer to the packaging of organic detergents that we can find on the market). The reality is quite different: we sometimes find petroleum derivatives, palm oil and other junk of all kinds in the ingredients... Goops.

Lack of pot, at present there are still no regulations that require manufacturers to list all the ingredients contained in their detergent . It is therefore advisable to rely on labels rather than ingredients even if their specifications still remain insufficiently demanding. To date, it is the Ecocert label which remains the most serious.

Now for a little optimism, it will do everyone good. Everything is not ruined, and to prove it to you we are offering you small actions that can make a difference.

Take the bull by the horns.

And before that, how can we act?

Let's talk a little, let's talk about clothing compositions . Did you know that synthetic fibers today represent 60.1% of global textile consumption? Natural textiles are preferred , because they will not release synthetic microfibers into the drains. Choosing natural materials such as linen, cotton, silk or cashmere therefore seems at first glance a good option. But a problem never comes alone, you should know that natural materials raise other environmental issues: linen uses a lot of water, cotton a lot of pesticides... There is no miracle solution. You have to choose your battles.

One thing is certain: the best solution is still to buy fewer clothes . The diagram is simple: new clothes are those that release the most particles, so the longer we keep our clothes, the fewer particles they spew into the oceans and the less they pollute. Unsurprisingly, fast fashion is undoubtedly the biggest culprit of this ecological disaster .

And for outdoor clothes, how do we do it?

Unfortunately the outdoors also has its share of responsibility in all this. Outdoor lovers, we have some solutions for you. We advise you to favor:

1. Natural stuff . Yes, it is possible to combine technology and natural materials . For example, our NOSC brand manufactures its outdoor products from castor oil. It is an innovative fiber with multiple technical properties, such as 5x faster drying and anti-odor properties. Enough to add glitter to your life, Kévin.
2. Quality gear . Choose equipment that will last over time . That's good, on Muule.fr we select the cream of outdoor gear, the one that will accompany you for years.
3. Brands committed to the planet . At Muule, we measure the commitment of outdoor brands using our transparency barometer . And we give them a grade based on strict specifications. Our role is to inform you about the commitment of our brands so that you can make an informed choice when you decide to buy .