We, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:

Whereas:

Plastic pollution is an immense problem that comes from and affects every corner of the world and it is our responsibility to mitigate it in order to preserve our planet.  Every year an average of 100 billion garments are made, with Canadians disposing 500 million kilograms of clothing annually.

The clothing industry produces one third of the worlds global emissions, producing as much emissions as all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

Textiles annually release 2.2 million tons of microfibres into oceans, making them the largest source of microplastics in marine ecosystems.

 The microfiber content varies immensely in different fabric materials, for example, the microplastics in Polyester shed easily and take up to 200 years to disintegrate in landfills. In contrast, natural fibers such as wool disintegrate quickly in landfills and don’t contain synthetic fibers.

Despite these facts, current textile labeling practices provide insufficient information for consumers to make environmentally responsible choices.

It is important to have labels that clearly state what percentage of the material is composed of synthetic fibers that contribute to plastic pollution. This could be a simple number scale that would be easy for consumers to understand, which would enable ethical consumerism. 

Therefore, we, the undersigned call upon the House of Commons to mandate textile labeling which clearly states the percentage of synthetic (plastic-based) fibers in garments.