Fashion industry must consider COVID-19 an environmental crisis

by Heather Lafferty

Eight million tonnes of plastic waste go into our oceans every year. This is approximately eight lorry’s worth of plastic being disposed of into our oceans every minute. Even worse, it is expected that by 2050, there will be more plastic by weight than fish in the oceans.

And this was before the COVID-19 crisis.

Now, the pandemic is driving a new source of environmental pollution—personal protective equipment (PPE). Waste from PPE has become an increasing difficulty as the sporting of single-use facemasks and gloves becomes a common sight in the United Kingdom and many countries internationally.

A large amount of PPE is made out of plastic, and it is not being thrown away properly after being used. Face masks, aprons and coverings, gowns, surgical masks, respirators and face protectors in the form of glasses, goggles or face shields, make its way into the world's seas and oceans, worsening the oceans plastic pollution problem, Project Plan B has warned.

"Nearly 90% of UK workwear already ends up in landfill or incinerated every year – C19 has exacerbated that problem", said Tim Cross—Director of Project Plan B.

And this pollution is happening on a large scale. COVID-19 has triggered an estimated global use of 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves every month. In the UK alone, more than one billion items of PPE were given out to NHS staff between the end of February and mid-April, according to the BBC.

The pandemic, then, continues to cause a severe and ongoing challenge in the battle against plastic pollution, curtailing recycling and increasing the use of plastic around the world.

This is why Fashion Roundtable commends Project Plan B in calling on PPE manufacturers to consider the environmental impact of disposable garments. All Project Plan B garments are made from 100% recycled materials, and every garment has been designed to be 100% recycled, following research to develop recycled yarn that could be recycled again without a loss in value, as part of its own unique closed-loop circular system.

At Fashion Roundtable, we are advocating for a commitment to promote reusable, made in the UK PPE being a part of the government NHS strategy. We further urge all manufacturers—PPE and beyond—to make an effort to think of the planet as well as the product.