RALEIGH – A call from a senior executive at the US-based not-for-profit Cotton Incorporated for consumers to clothe themselves in natural fibres to minimise microfibre pollution, has stoked an ongoing debate in the textile industry.
Studies published in the science journal Marine Pollution Bulletin claim cotton readily biodegrades in a variety of marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments – but we found that not all scientists necessarily agree, and that the 'science' seems far from settled.
