- An estimated 78.4% of Christmas sweaters sold by major US retailers contain synthetic materials harmful to the environment.
- 70.27% of Christmas sweaters contain polyester, a harmful, oil-based plastic, while 31.10% contain acrylic, and 7.35% contain elastane.
- Expert reveals top tips for reducing harm to the environment this Christmas, including thrifting your Christmas sweater and reusing or donating old ones rather than discarding them.
As the holiday season approaches, millions of Americans are getting into the festive spirit by purchasing Christmas sweaters. However, new research has revealed that 78.4% of them are made from synthetic materials which are harmful to the environment.
Not only do these materials take a long time to decompose but they also produce significant carbon emissions during production and release microplastics that can damage marine life.
Sustainable print-on-demand provider NovaTomato analyzed the material composition of 1,238 Christmas sweaters from 10 popular US retailers, including Kohl’s and Target, to determine the percentage that are made of synthetic materials like polyester and acrylic.
The research revealed ten main materials that are used in Christmas sweaters made by different retailers, with seven of these being synthetic. These seven materials are present in 78.4% of the sweaters included in the study. Many of these sweaters contain more than one synthetic material.
The percentage of Christmas sweaters that contain synthetic materials
They found that polyester was the most used synthetic material in the Christmas sweaters analyzed, with 70.27% containing this oil-based plastic. The average cost of a Christmas sweater containing polyester is $34.07.
Acrylic is present in 31.10% of sweaters in the analysis. The average price of Christmas sweaters containing acrylic is $26.54, making it the cheapest material.
Elastane was used in 7.35% of Christmas sweaters included in the study. The average cost of these was $37.74.
The retailers that use the most polyester in their Christmas sweaters are American Eagle and Old Navy, with 100% of sweaters from both retailers containing polyester.
Lyn BAI, CEO of NovaTomato commented on the findings:
“Christmas sweaters: while they are a fun and long-established way of celebrating the festive season, can have a huge cost on the environment, especially with so many being made from synthetic materials like polyester, which can take anywhere from 20 to 200 years to decompose. However, there are steps we can take to reduce this damage and celebrate a greener Christmas without it costing the Earth.
“One of the best ways to reduce your environmental impact is by buying sweaters from thrift stores. Not only do you save money, but you also avoid contributing to the production of new, harmful materials.
“If you do purchase a new sweater, look for one that is made from eco-friendly materials like organic cotton or recycled fabrics, both of which are far better for the planet than synthetic materials.
“Finally, instead of discarding your sweater after Christmas, consider saving it for next year or donating it to extend its life and keep it out of landfills.
“By making small changes in how we source and handle our Christmas sweaters, we can reduce waste, save money, and protect the environment while still having fun during the holiday.”
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