A resin used for making non-wrinkle shirts releases formaldehyde, which could cause contact dermatitis for some people; no disclosure requirements exist, and in 2008 the U.S. Government Accountability Office tested formaldehyde in clothing and found that generally the highest levels were in non-wrinkle shirts and pants.
In 1999, a study of the effect of washing on the formaldehyde levels found that after 6 months after washing, 7 of 27 shirts had levels in excess of 75 ppm, which is a safe limit for direct skin exposure.
In past times, mending was an art.
A meticulous tailor or seamstress could mend rips with thread raveled from hems and seam edges so skillfully that the tear was practically invisible.
When the raw material – cloth – was worth more than labor, it made sense to expend labor in saving it.
Today
digitizing clothing is considered a consumable item.
Mass-manufactured clothing is less expensive than the labor required repairing it.
Many people buy a new piece of clothing rather than spend time mending.
The thrifty still replace zippers and buttons and sew up ripped hems.
Used, unwearable clothing can be used for quilts, rags, rugs, bandages, and many other household uses.
It can also be recycled into paper.
In Western societies, used
embroidery digitizing clothing is often thrown out or donated to charity (such as through a clothing bin).
It is also sold to consignment shops, dress agencies, flea markets, and in online.
Used clothing is also often collected on an industrial scale to be sorted and shipped for re-use in poorer countries.
There are many concerns about the life cycle of synthetics, which come primarily from petrochemicals.
Unlike natural fibers, their source is not renewable and they are not biodegradable.