Struggling Texas cotton industry emphasizing the hazards of fast fashion

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LUBBOCK — For decades, the cotton industry has long been considered king in the Texas agriculture world. However, a shift has left it standing on shaky ground.

In the last few years — as cotton producers struggled with low market prices, high costs of business, and unpredictable weather — synthetic fibers have become more mainstream. Fast fashion outlets on the internet are offering clothes made of polyester, nylon and spandex at hard-to-beat prices. And for customers dealing with inflation and the rise of influencer culture, the clothes are flying off the virtual shelves.

“We’ve been growing this safe fiber all our lives, and we can’t seem to get any traction,” said Walt Hagood, a cotton producer outside Lubbock. “If people want cotton, it would be really helpful for them to go out and start asking the stores for it.”

The cotton industry isn’t going down without a fight, though. Producers in the Texas High Plains, where 30% of the nation’s cotton is grown, have started raising awareness about synthetic fibers and what impacts the non-biodegradable products have on the environment and consumer health.

In recent months, Plains Cotton Growers, an organization that represents cotton producers in the region, has shared infographics about synthetic fibers. Almost 70% of clothes in fast fashion are made with synthetics, mostly polyester, which is usually made from petroleum. Plastic-based fibers are not biodegradable.

Microplastics, which shed when the clothes are made, washed, and worn, are affecting more than the cotton industry. These tiny plastic particles build up in water supply sources, contaminating drinking water and polluting lakes and rivers. This is also a cause of concern for farmers, who depend on good water quality to prop up their crops.

As the competition for consumers grows, cotton farmers are hoping to gain a powerful ally in their mission against fast fashion: U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He has already shown interest in regulating warning labels for foods containing synthetic dyes and other additives. They hope he can take a closer look at the impact the man-made fibers have on the environment and consumer health.

Kara Bishop, director of communications and public affairs for Plains Cotton Growers, has been behind much of the messaging on social media. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Bishop saw the rise in athleisure wear and “shopping hauls” featuring TikTok influencers showing off clothes from known fast-fashion outlets. Even when she would shop, Bishop said it was hard to find clothes that were 100% cotton that were also fashionable.

Once she saw that synthetic manufacturers were able to replicate crochet tops or denim vests and blazers without cotton, Bishop knew there was a problem. She realized there wasn’t enough awareness for consumers about cotton, or the harm caused by polyester and other synthetic fibers.

“We’ve got to do something to slow down the momentum of plastic pollution,” Bishop said. “But there’s got to be some kind of emotional anchor. You can’t just tell people to wear cotton.”

Bishop said this is why she started highlighting the health risks on social media. Some posts focus on health and environmental concerns, including one that links to a study estimating humans ingest a credit-card size amount of plastic each week. Another explains cotton microfibers break down in water within a few months. Synthetic microfibers, on the other hand, can take between 20 to 200 years to break down. Bishop also created a list of stores where people can buy cotton-rich clothes and other products, such as backpacks.

Bishop saw this as an opportunity for the cotton industry to have better messaging. Cotton producers typically have to defend their practices, including their use of chemicals like pesticides. Bishop said cotton growers have used less chemicals over the years due to poor production, particularly in comparison to the amount of chemicals used for synthetic fibers. By raising awareness on the dangers of man-made synthetic fibers, they could help their cause and the environment.

“This is a place where we can actually be on the offense and say, ‘Hey, you’re wearing petroleum and it’s going to hurt you and the planet,” Bishop said.

Balaji Rao, a professor and microplastics researcher at Texas Tech University, said synthetic fibers are designed to be stable and not degrade. When they break down over time, Rao said, the plastics enter the environment and stay there.

“It’s not that they stay forever, but long enough that they can potentially impact the environment,” Rao said. “Natural fibers do degrade because they are designed by nature.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, microplastics are found throughout all sources of water — from the ocean to tap and bottled water. One study, published in the 2024 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that plastic contamination is in every step involved in the production of drinking water, from when the water is drawn from a well to when it’s in the bottle.

Rao said this is the case with the food packing industry, too. However, he said it comes down to the cost of production, just like with clothes. Replacing a shirt made of cotton as opposed to polyester would be more environmentally friendly, he said. But the question for consumers is the cost.

“If we can develop the industry to make these naturally derived plastics and fibers, I think it would be a great value for the environment,” Rao said. “That’s something that would require policies and initiatives to make that happen. It’s going to be a slow process.”

Hagood, the cotton producer, doesn’t want more regulations. Instead, he wants people to be more aware of what’s on their clothing labels. He thinks Kennedy will look into it, as the health secretary has honed in on microplastics in food production. He also posted on social media last year about microplastics found in the human brain. The more people know about synthetic fibers, Hagood said, the better.

“We’re out here struggling because we can’t get enough demand to get enough support with our prices,” Hagood said.

For Hagood and other cotton growers, it could be the difference in both their success and the well-being of future generations. Hagood has been growing cotton for 46 years and faced the shaky markets, water scarcity and extreme weather events that come with the territory. The fact that he’s now fighting fast fashion, on top of the other complications that come his way, is a surprise to him.

“It’s mind-boggling to me that this isn’t a larger public conversation,” Hagood said.

Disclosure: Texas Tech University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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