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How do you feel about fleece?

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NorthCascades
NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
in Debate Club
Fleece works pretty well. It's warm, it's breathable, dries quickly, and even stays reasonably warm if you get it wet. On the other hand, micro-plastic pollution is showing up all over the planet, including in the food we eat and water we drink. And we've learned that fleece is a major contributor. Every time you wash it, filaments come off into the water. We don't know what the long term effects will be, but it's hard to imagine this being beneficial.

For the people in here who enjoy the outdoors, I wonder if this has changed how's you feel about fleece and how you dress and pack for your activities?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
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Replies

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,921 Member
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    Fleece as far as my definition is concerned is wool from sheep and goats mostly. Apparently it's also a micro fiber after googling. How many man made things effect our environment, pretty much everything. I'm tackling and have been for a dozen years to reduce my carbon footprint which unknown to me includes fleece.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,921 Member
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    And I totally understand Margaret's argument. There is no easy solution for micro plastics when compared to the progress of humankind in general. The total amount of people brought out of poverty and increased lifespan is the upside of progress. Maybe a genius is in the population of people that now enjoy a higher standard of living, is getting an education and will contribute to a solution, because we humans are good at that.
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    My preference is for natural fibers only, but agree that it does get very expensive. I'm something of a "capsule wardrobe" person (remember that trend?) where I deliberately own not very many pieces of clothing. The goal is that the things I wear will last a long time with proper care. (This has been hard with weight loss, because I'm transitioning sizes rather quickly. But I tend to wear clothes that are not super fitted and can work for a variety of sizes - part of having kids.) I am picky about what I am acquiring now. Clothes for athletics seem much more prone to synthetics and probably for good reason in terms of comfort, wicking, etc, but I'm not knowledgeable about options there for natural fibers. I would be interested to learn, though, and would happily acquire some of those things once I reach goal weight.

    I don't feel guilt about what I do own because the system is much larger than me and my individual actions really don't affect it much. I do the best I can with what I have, and that's that. I take a similar approach to disposable packaging, composting, etc. I am a "eat local" person partially for environmental reasons. But I also can't make it my whole life because I do have other priorities where I have a much bigger opportunity for impact.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Wasn't aware of this...but I'm not a big fan of fleece. It makes me feel all clammy when it's cold out and I'm sweating...just clammy and wet. I discovered Merino Wool several years ago and haven't looked back.
  • NerdyScienceGrl
    NerdyScienceGrl Posts: 669 Member
    edited September 2021
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    This question is all about trade-offs for me. Because this question could be expanded to include any synthetic fiber — polyester, nylon, polypropylene — it’s impossible for me to imagine truly enjoying the outdoors without somehow creating a footprint.

    Based on the OP, it’s undeniable plastics (with a large chunk of that being micro plastics) are the largest contributor to ocean pollution and through natural processes are being spread to the terrestrial environment. Micro plastic (well any plastic) absorb harmful chemicals that degrade the environment with impacts to natural resources we, as humans, rely on and should recognized as indicators of our own health. I personally am unable to separate humans from the environment where most people I know consider themselves outside natural processes, observers, or are generally uninterested so long as their lights still come on everyday… anyway…

    So the trade-offs for me personally lie beyond the wearing of fleece or my nylon bivy bag and this becomes a long, uninteresting (to many) internal conversation about fabric manufacturing in general and use - is natural better? Maybe? I guess that depends on your personal definition. But the local impacts from things like synthetic chemicals used to treat cotton fields, for example, are not any less harmful in the near-term; where plastics persevere in the environment for what feels like perpetuity. I also think about things like, harsh dyes used and other chemicals; energy used to make, market, package, and transport the product; fair compensation… I’ll stop, before I continue to go further astray.

    Ultimately, like I said, it’s trade-offs. Sure I could use my canvas bedroll made from linen instead of the bivy bag but it’s much heavier. I could give up the fleece I wear under my dry suit and hope to find something natural that is as warm and comfortable. Instead, I try and make informed purchases from retailers with “more responsible” practices (e.g., using recycled material, lower carbon footprints) that allow me to enjoy the outside world with as few, long-term impacts as possible.

    I feel, unlike others, that my personal choices may feel insignificant, as I’m one person, but the cumulative of changes can be significant. My values may be colored as a NWerner, and as a collective group it seems we put a high value on enjoying and preserving the abundance of natural beauty, outdoor recreation, and open spaces we are ultimately spoiled to be surrounded by. I feel a responsibility to do what I can to ensure future generations are also afforded the same opportunities. This doesn’t come without some level of hypocrisy I’m willing to live with, however.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,239 Member
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    The aquarium where I volunteer used to use fleece jackets as uniform pieces. I have a vest and a jacket I have worn for over eight years. A couple years ago they switched to cotton blend hoodies. Not as warm. Not warm when wet. They focus on education about the marine environment and decided to switch.

    I have a few other fleece jackets. They will get worn until they wear out -- maybe longer. One of them already has some holes. I probably won't buy any more. Fleece in particular seems to shed microplastic more than other synthetic fabrics. What would be great is if we would get them out of other consumer goods where they are added intentionally.

    We can point to industry as the problem. That is a bit of a cop-out. Each of us has the responsibility to do all we can to contribute. Some friends fly a lot more than I do. They justify it by saying the plane is going anyway. Well only if there are passengers. When they don't fly it's two fewer passengers. When enough people don't buy a ticket then the flight will be cancelled.

    The solution to single-use bottles is to quit making them. Putting them to a second use is great; just not as good.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    I've been eyeing a micro grid fleece jacket I want. I have a few already and don't need another, but the color is gorgeous. Can't bring myself to order it so far knowing that every time I wear it I'll be releasing little bits of plastic into nature. In my case I have non-fleece synthetics that are still warm when wet.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Wasn't aware of this...but I'm not a big fan of fleece. It makes me feel all clammy when it's cold out and I'm sweating...just clammy and wet. I discovered Merino Wool several years ago and haven't looked back.

    I felt like that for many years. And then I bought a grid fleece because it was on clearance (in an ugly color). Figured I'd wear it around the house on chilly mornings. Significantly better. I can bike, ski, and hike in it.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,239 Member
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I've been eyeing a micro grid fleece jacket I want. I have a few already and don't need another, but the color is gorgeous. Can't bring myself to order it so far knowing that every time I wear it I'll be releasing little bits of plastic into nature. In my case I have non-fleece synthetics that are still warm when wet.

    Well, if you never wash it or swim in it, you won't release microplastics....
  • NVintage
    NVintage Posts: 1,463 Member
    edited September 2021
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    This is how I feel about fleece:D
    https://youtu.be/MvgN5gCuLac
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,166 Member
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    I don't care much for fleece, just feels-preference, but I do own a couple or three things, some of which were gifts or hand-me-downs post weight loss.

    I think I'm pretty close to penguinmama87, opinion-wise.

    This whole question, for me, falls under my general guiding principle that we wealthy (in global/historical terms) people are unavoidably little bundles of moving harm to the world: Economic harm, ecological harm, harm to animals, harm to other humans elsewhere, and more. Further, as others have observed, it's often a matter of differing relative harms in different domains, or harms that even experts argue over which of multiple options is worse.

    In this context, I feel all a trying-to-be-decent person can do is to minimize the harms they can, as best they understand them, starting with the ones that are easiest for them personally.

    Since I don't much like fleece, I'm not buying any new fleece clothing (easy for me), will still accept gifts graciously, or maybe buy used.

    How important is that new micro grid fleece in the extra-special color, to you? 😉
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,239 Member
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    penguinmama87 wrote: »
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    The aquarium where I volunteer used to use fleece jackets as uniform pieces. I have a vest and a jacket I have worn for over eight years. A couple years ago they switched to cotton blend hoodies. Not as warm. Not warm when wet. They focus on education about the marine environment and decided to switch.

    I have a few other fleece jackets. They will get worn until they wear out -- maybe longer. One of them already has some holes. I probably won't buy any more. Fleece in particular seems to shed microplastic more than other synthetic fabrics. What would be great is if we would get them out of other consumer goods where they are added intentionally.

    We can point to industry as the problem. That is a bit of a cop-out. Each of us has the responsibility to do all we can to contribute. Some friends fly a lot more than I do. They justify it by saying the plane is going anyway. Well only if there are passengers. When they don't fly it's two fewer passengers. When enough people don't buy a ticket then the flight will be cancelled.

    The solution to single-use bottles is to quit making them. Putting them to a second use is great; just not as good.

    This is where I disagree - I think each of us has the responsibility to do what is reasonable given our position, not "all we can." That might very well be what you mean depending on how you interpret the ability. But people can reasonably disagree about the best course of action given a certain set of circumstances, and it isn't easy to look at someone else's life and accurately assess what they can or cannot do.

    My faith tradition has an understanding of this called "remote material cooperation." The further you are from the decision to do the wrong thing, the less culpability you have for participating in it. There are some circumstances where cooperation in some kind of evil, even rather major ones, is just...unavoidable. How and what we consume is a big part of that in today's economy. I try very hard not to be wasteful. It suits my personal strengths. But I can't personally verify the sourcing of every fabric I bring home to make sure it was produced in a sustainable way (according to whom? reasonable folks can disagree!) or with ethical labor practices. I also don't have the time or technical skill to weave or spin my own material or even sew all my own clothes, though I can mend them. If I tried, I would literally do nothing else, and it would get in the way of my primary duties in life to my family. What I can do is buy only what my family needs (and I take a pretty severe understanding of that - see my post above), repair and care for it well, and as @cmriverside mentioned I do a lot of secondhand shopping too, which extends the life of a lot of products that would otherwise be destined for garbage even with a lot of life left in them. At the same time, I don't feel a particular responsibility to rescue every single potentially useful object from that fate, because that's not my job.

    It's not a cop out. It's prioritizing. Some people will be called to take up this work to effect the systemic change needed for these things. I will commend them for it! But it's not my particular calling, and I am OK with that too.

    Reckon we will disagree then. Because if you know that purchasing synthetic fleece contributes to marine pollution and, ultimately might devastate the entire food web of the ocean (small organisms eat the plastic, and it can kill them directly or they can be eaten by primary predators and on up the food chain so larger organisms have their guts filled up with non-food that they can't eliminate), then you are directly culpable. There are other options. The idea that fleece is OK because it's made from recycled bottles is greenwashing. The answer is that plastic bottles should be used way more than once and discarded. Even with recycling available, most single-use plastics end up in a landfill or incinerator. If you have no idea that synthetic fleece poses a hazard to organisms we share the planet with, you aren't as culpable. But now you know.

    That said, I will continue to wear the fleece I already own, so I'm culpable too. I know that landfills, specifically the one my waste goes to, takes leachate to the wastewater treatment plant to be released eventually to the river. Putting something in the landfill isn't "away."

    The good thing is that there are alternative fabrics. At some point, we may find out that they pose a risk, too.

    I think there's something to your faith tradition and how far away you are from the "sin." If someone buys a synthetic fleece from a second-hand shop, that fleece already exists. Someone will wear it. On the other hand, that other person might still go buy a fleece jacket, so who even knows how far away that is. I know that there won't be any more fleece coming into my ownership.
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,365 Member
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    I didn't know this. Uh-oh. I live in a very cold climate and own a great deal of fleece. I'm allergic to wool and feathers (down).
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,239 Member
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    @NerdyScienceGrl

    Possibly an overstatement that microplastics could devastate the entire marine ecosystem. Also possible that it could. I certainly don't claim to have all the answers. My point is simply that when there is something we, as individuals, can do to reduce our negative impact on the one and only environment that sustains us - we should.

    There are still people who deny humans impact global temperatures. Let's not create another head-in-the-sand issue if there is something we can do.

    That discussion about whether a person adds more greenhouse gasses from riding a bike if one eats meat was a bit of a stretch because, as many here pointed out, there are other considerations when opting for a transportation choice. I still drive my truck frequently, so admittedly I am not dong EVERYTHING that I can. So I am as much a part of the problem as everyone else. Sorry everybody!

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