Is Microfiber Green? Comparing Microfiber's Environmental Impact with Cotton and Paper

Are microfiber cleaning products truly green cleaning tools? Overall, does microfiber have a positive impact on the environment or a negative impact? In order to make a proper evaluation on how green microfiber is, we must ask three key questions:

Is it made in a green way?
Is it used in a green way?
Can it be disposed of in a green way?

In this article, we’ll answer these questions and go over the alternatives to microfiber and consider their environmental impacts as well.

What is microfiber made of?

Microfiber is a blend of polyester and polyamide (nylon), making it great for cleaning and super absorbent.

Let’s start with the first question. Is there anything green about what microfiber is made from or how it’s manufactured? When compared to a natural fiber like cotton there is not a conclusive answer. Microfiber is made mostly from polyester which is composed mostly from an ester and a dihydric alcohol and a terephthalic acid. This means microfiber is inorganic and does not biodegrade, like cotton or paper.It also requires nearly twice the energy to produce microfiber as it does to produce a natural fiber such as cotton.

Now, let’s take a look at Microfiber’s biggest competitor: cotton. Cotton is one of the most profitable crops worldwide! According to The World Counts, 29 million tons of cotton are produced a year and, environmentally speaking, the cotton industry is one of the dirtiest industries in the world. This is due to the large amounts of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides used. The high use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides end up polluting waterways, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, and ruin the soil. These all have direct and indirect impacts on human health and our ecosystem. Cotton is also a big contributor to water scarcity. It takes over 5,000 gallons of water to produce enough cotton to make just one t-shirt! That same amount of cotton can produce about 17 small cotton cleaning rags. If you do the math, that's about 300 gallons of water to farm cotton for a single rag. Organic cotton, uses much more water than conventional cotton and may produce even more greenhouse gas emissions, due to a variety of factors.

Another alternative to microfiber and cotton is paper. Paper is a natural product and even more biodegradable than cotton, which is good! The issues in manufacturing paper towels is that it contributes to deforestation and high-water use. It contributes to air pollution from the heavy diesel machinery used in logging and transportation, as well as the manufacturing process at paper mills. Plus, many paper towels are bleached in order to get the white color, which can produce environmental toxins.

HOW IS IT USED

Is microfiber used in a green way? The answered is an overwhelming yes! There isn’t anything else on the market that cleans as effectively without using chemicals as microfiber. In fact, microfiber can effectively clean with just water for a variety of cleaning tasks. The difference between microfiber and other non-microfiber mops, towels, and dusters is that other products rely on chemicals to do the cleaning and they only remove what the chemicals release from the surface. Microfiber does both, it loosens dust, dirt, and debris from surface and takes it off the surface without the use of chemical cleaners.

An article posted by Clean Link, discusses many reasons why microfiber is able to clean more effectively and with fewer chemicals than cotton. Microfiber is one-third the diameter of a cotton fiber yet is more absorbent. Thus, microfiber can effectively pick up more dirt, and debris. As mentioned earlier, microfiber is inorganic. It’s a negative in terms of biodegrading, but in terms of cleaning with less chemicals it is a positive! That’s because the inorganic microfibers don’t harbor odor and bacteria like natural fibers. Lastly, microfiber uses much less water than cotton when cleaning, according to Clean Link, it can be up to 10-30 times less! And both microfiber and cotton have much better cleaning capacity than paper towels.

It’s also exponentially more durable than natural fibers like cotton. Compare a microfiber towel to a cotton bar towel. A cotton bar towel can be washed 20-30 times before it loses its effectiveness, a microfiber towel can be washed 200-300 times before it loses its effectiveness. Because cotton and paper are less durable, they need to be replaced much more often! As we discussed above this leads to more air pollution, deforestation, chemical usage, and water usage. Since a microfiber towel lasts ten times longer that certainly overcomes the fact that it’s manufactured in a less environmentally friendly way.

HOW IS IT DISPOSED OF

Although Microfiber is not biodegradable like cotton or paper towels, the important thing to ask is can it be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way? The answer is YES! First of all, microfiber is not biodegradable. If you’re concerned about the environment, then you don’t want to toss worn out microfiber in trash receptacles that will end up in a landfill. However, there are numerous ways to recycle microfiber. The easiest way is to take your worn-out microfiber to a thrift store like Salvation Army or Goodwill. When they have textiles that don’t sell, they send them off to companies that repurpose them for things like cushioning and batting. Another way to recycle microfiber is to send them directly to the companies that repurpose them.

WHAT ABOUT MICRO PLASTIC POLLUTION?

The biggest concern regarding microfiber is microplastic pollution. This occurs because all microfiber products can shed the microscopic microfibers in the wash and can make their way to the ocean. While this is true there are some important things to note.

Most of the microplastic pollution is from your synthetic clothing, cosmetics, and decaying of larger plastic items (ex: water bottles).
There is much scientific uncertainty about microplastic issues and how that affects human health (Tox Town).
Wastewater treatment facilities generally remove 95 to 99 percent of microfibers (Surfrider)

But there are many simple solutions you can take to wash microfiber to reduce any shedding. Microfiber clothing manufacturers Patagonia and REI list some great ways to reduce the microplastics in the wash.

Use High Quality Microfiber Products
Invest in a Front-load Washer, which shed approximately 7 times fewer microfibers
Wash on delicate setting and with colder water when necessary
Install a lint filter or products that collect microfiber shedding in the laundry

Is Microfiber Safe?

Yes, microfiber is safe when used as a cleaning product. As noted, there are even many environmental benefits of using microfiber as opposed to cotton and paper alternatives which can have big impacts in the future.

Is Microfiber Bad For The Environment?

Despite microfiber’s environmental drawbacks which include what it’s made from and the fact that it’s not biodegradable; there are a variety of environmental benefits of using microfiber (as opposed to using cotton or paper) making it a green cleaning tool. Its drawbacks are far outweighed by the benefits of microfiber which include its incredible durability and the fact that you can clean effectively without chemical cleaners. The eco-friendly benefits of microfiber are:

No Pesticide Sprays or Synthetic Fertilizers Used in Manufacturing
Less Water Used in Cleaning & Manufacturing
No Deforestation
Fewer Chemicals Used When Cleaning
Most Durable and Reusable
Recyclable

As mentioned earlier in the post it is important to use microfiber that is high quality. Check out where we have our microfiber made to ensure your towels are made in a responsible and sustainable way.

BEST MICROFIBER PRODUCTS FOR GREEN CLEANING

The below products are high quality microfiber products made to clean great with just plain water and last for years to come!

Get any hard flooring surface streak-free!
Easy-to-Use. No mop bucket needed
Cleans great with just water!
Machine Washable Pads

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Get streak free glass in 2 steps
No windex needed! Just water
Comes with 8 microfiber cloths
Machine Washable

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Clean and polish on any surface with just water!
Softer and more absorbent than your average microfiber towel
Prevent Cross Contamination - 16 color options
12 Pack
Machine Washable

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SOURCES

World Cotton Production Statistics – The World Counts – theworldcounts.com
Organic farming is actually worse for climate change than conventional farming – qz.com
Choosing Between Microfiber and Cotton – Cleanlink.com
Green Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting: A Curriculum for Early Care and Education – epa.gov
Microplastics – toxtown.nlm.nih.gov
Plastic Microfibers: Recent Findings and Potential Solutions – surfrider.org
An Update On Microfiber Pollution – Patagonia.com
Microfibers What We Know So Far – rei.com

Written by

Em Rey

Content Contributor at

Microfiber Wholesale

Em is an experienced content writer and strategist, creating engaging and informative content for lifestyle, home, and beauty publications over the past eight years.

Her passion for eco-friendly cleaning aligns with the growing demand for sustainable solutions, and she’s a strong advocate for microfiber products due to their efficiency and environmental benefits.

Em’s in-depth knowledge of the cleaning industry and commitment to promoting green initiatives make her an ideal partner for crafting content that resonates with professional cleaners.

When she’s not creating content, you'll find her with a toddler in tow either outdoors, somewhere near water, or baking.