Spinning Greenwash

The report finds that recycled polyester sheds significantly more and finer microfibres than virgin polyester, challenging industry claims of sustainability. Testing of 51 garments from Adidas, H&M, Nike, Shein, and Zara revealed that recycled polyester released an average of 12,430 fibres per gram, compared to 8,028 for virgin polyester. The study argues that the 'bottle-to-textile' recycling model is a form of downcycling that worsens pollution and allows brands to mask a continued reliance on virgin plastics. It also identifies discrepancies in 'recycled' labelling, particularly with Shein, and calls for EU-wide eco-design criteria and a global plastics treaty to cap virgin plastic production.

• Recycled polyester releases a significantly higher number of microfibres than virgin polyester. Testing showed recycled polyester released an average of approximately 12,000 fibres per gram, which is 54.8% more than the 8,028 fibres per gram released by virgin polyester.
• Microfibres from recycled polyester are consistently smaller and finer than those from virgin polyester, with an average length of 0.42 mm compared to 0.52 mm. These smaller particles are considered more harmful as they can penetrate deeper into human lungs and tissues and are more readily ingested by aquatic and soil organisms.
• Recycled versions of both polyester and polyamide exhibit higher shedding rates than their virgin counterparts. Recycled polyamide was found to shed over three times as many fibres as virgin polyamide (5,133 fibres/g vs. 1,565 fibres/g).
• Among the brands tested, Nike demonstrated the highest levels of fibre release for both virgin and recycled polyester. Nike's recycled polyester released an average of 30,772 fibres per gram, which is roughly seven times more than Zara and nearly four times more than H&M.
• The report identifies evidence of greenwashing and misleading claims regarding recycled content. Specifically, Shein garments advertised as 'recycled polyester' in June 2025 were later relisted as simply 'polyester', and some items from H&M and Nike marketed as recycled online lacked this information on physical care labels.
• Cotton fibres are heavier and longer than synthetic fibres, which may result in lower health risks and better capture by wastewater treatment plants. Cotton released 1.85 mg/g of fibres with lengths between 0.40 and 0.94 mm.
• The 'bottle-to-textile' recycling process is described as downcycling because it removes plastic bottles from closed-loop recycling systems and places them into garments that cannot be effectively recycled again.

APA

Trunk, U., Urbancic, N., Gündoğdu, S., & Özkan, İ. (2025). Spinning Greenwash. Changing Markets Foundation. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Spinning-Greenwash_full-report.pdf

Chicago

Trunk, Urska, Nusa Urbancic, Sedat Gündoğdu, and İlkan Özkan. Spinning Greenwash. Changing Markets Foundation, 2025. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Spinning-Greenwash_full-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Trunk |first1=Urska |last2=Urbancic |first2=Nusa |last3=Gündoğdu |first3=Sedat |last4=Özkan |first4=İlkan |title=Spinning Greenwash |publisher=Changing Markets Foundation |date=December 2025 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Spinning-Greenwash_full-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{trunk2025spinning, author = {Trunk, Urska and Urbancic, Nusa and Gündoğdu, Sedat and Özkan, İlkan}, title = {{Spinning Greenwash}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Spinning-Greenwash_full-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }