The soft, shiny acetate fabric is often used in fancy clothing, from wedding dresses to graduation gowns. But is this silk-like material equally glamorous when it comes to sustainability? Acetate is, after all, a thermoplastic material made in a chemical-intensive process. So, we had to ask: How sustainable are acetate fabrics?

Acetate fabrics are generally unsustainable. Manufacturing this textile material uses toxic chemicals, posing health and environmental risks, and washing acetate fabrics releases microplastics into the environment. However, its main raw material comes from plants, which are a renewable resource.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the life-cycle of acetate fabrics used for clothes and household items. Then, we will evaluate its sustainability, potential, and shortfalls. And in the end, we’ll show you tips for buying sustainable products made with acetate fabrics.

Here’s How We Assessed the Sustainability of Acetate Fabrics

Acetate fabrics are generally considered unsustainable because of the chemical-intensive manufacturing process. Acetate fibers are thermoplastics that release microplastics when washed, contributing to the mounting problem. Also, acetate fabrics generally don’t degrade fast enough to be considered biodegradable. 

However, acetate fibers can be made more sustainably by sourcing raw materials from sustainably managed plantations, utilizing renewable energy in manufacturing, and strictly controlling chemical usage and discharge. 

“Sustainable: The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level | Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance”

Oxford Dictionary

To understand the sustainability of acetate fabrics, we must assess its life-cycle and each stage’s sustainability. This life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a method for evaluating the environmental impacts of products and materials. Over the years, companies have strategically used LCA to research and create more sustainable products. So, let’s have a look at the LCA of acetate fabrics!

In this article, we’ll use the cradle-to-grave perspective of the LCA, examining the five stages of the life-cycle of clothes and bedding made with acetate fabrics. When applicable, we also look at cradle-to-gate assessments. 

Overall, we can say that acetate fabrics are generally not sustainable textile materials. However, the actual environmental impact of a particular product, whether a formal shirt or an evening dress, depends on more specific factors, including: 

• the sourcing of fibers from plants,
• the manufacturing process,
• the distance and mode of transportation, and
• the type of energy used in the house during the usage phase. 

Let’s dive deeper into each life-cycle stage and find out how you can buy acetate fabrics more sustainably.

How Sustainable Is the Sourcing of Raw Materials for Acetate Fabrics

Sourcing acetate fibers for acetate fabrics varies from unsustainable to sustainable, largely depending on the ratio of renewable plant materials to nonrenewable fossil-based chemicals used. The sourcing stage is more sustainable when the plant-based raw materials account for a high percentage and are sourced from fast-growing tree species (eucalyptus, beech, or pine) and by-product waste (cotton linter). 

However, there are concerns over the association between sourcing raw materials for plant-based fabrics, including acetate, and deforestation in ancient and endangered forests. 

What Raw Materials Are Used for Acetate Fabrics

Acetate fabrics are made with acetate fibers—manufactured fibers based on cellulose acetate. Cellulose acetate is a cellulose derivative coming from either wood pulp or cotton linter. 

• The wood pulp sourced to make acetate fabrics can come from various tree species. Common woods sourced to make cellulose acetate include beech (hardwood), eucalyptus (hardwood), pine (softwood), and spruce (softwood). 
• Cotton linters are the very small cotton fibers around the cotton seeds. Because they are too small to be spun into cotton fabrics, cotton linters are usually considered by-products or preindustrial waste and can be sourced to make cellulose acetate. 

Other raw materials used to make acetate fibers are chemicals: wood pulp or cotton linter is dissolved in a chemical solution containing acetic acid, acetic anhydride, and sulfuric acid. 

• The chemicals used to make cellulose acetate are typically derived from fossil fuels. 
• Chemicals made with renewable feedstocks are the more sustainable alternatives. 

In the following section, we’ll go into the details of sourcing plant-based and fossil-based materials to make acetate fabrics and the environmental impacts of doing so. 

How Do the Raw Materials Sourced for Acetate Fabrics Impact the Environment

The typical main raw materials used in acetate fabrics are plant-based cellulose feedstocks and fossil-based chemicals. 

How Do the Plant-Based Materials Sourced for Acetate Fabrics Impact the Environment

Sourcing plant-based materials for acetate fabrics is generally sustainable, thanks to the carbon sequestration potential and the availability of these materials. 

• The carbon sequestration of plants

 As plants grow, they absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere while releasing oxygen. They act as a carbon sink, taking greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere and helping to mitigate the climate crisis. 

• The availability of plant-based materials

Raw materials for acetate fabrics are highly available coming from fast-growing, widely-populated tree species, such as eucalyptus and pine, and the by-product of the heavily-cultivated cotton crop—the cotton linter. 

How Do the Fossil-Based Materials Sourced for Acetate Fabrics Impact the Environment

The adverse environmental impacts of sourcing fossil-based chemicals are associated with extracting and refining fossil fuels, such as crude oil or natural gas. These include the four following impacts: 

• Depleting nonrenewable resources: It takes millions of years and requires certain geological conditions to turn dead plants into fossil fuels, and the current depletion rate makes replacement not realistically feasible.
• Demanding significant amounts of energy: Extracting petroleum, for example, requires heavy fuel-guzzling machines and complex drilling operations to access oil reservoirs deep underground. 
• Emitting greenhouse gases and exacerbating the climate crisis: GHG releases from burning fossil fuels to meet the energy demand as well as from the production of chemicals. 
• Causing pollution and habitat destruction: More specifically, fossil fuel extraction and refinery are reported to pollute air and water bodies, degrade and destroy habitats, kill off marine species in massive numbers, and disrupt wildlife in various other ways. 

Where Are the Raw Materials for Acetate Fabrics Usually Sourced From

Regarding the plant-based materials sourced for acetate fabrics, there is a concern over wood harvesting and deforestation in ancient or endangered forests, which have huge ecological costs and environmental implications.

Regarding the fossil-based chemicals sourced for acetate fabrics, tracking the origin is no simple task. This is largely because of the extremely complex supply chain of fossil derivatives. 

How Sustainable Is the Manufacturing of Acetate Fabrics

Manufacturing acetate fabrics is generally not sustainable because it involves harmful artificial chemicals. Also, the process can be energy-intensive. High energy usage could have a serious knock-on ecological impact if manufacturing relies heavily on fossil fuels.

How Sustainably Is Acetate Fabrics Generally Manufactured

The typical manufacturing process of acetate fabrics includes these steps: 

1. Create purified cellulose: Purified cellulose is made by deconstructing either wood pulp or cotton linter. 
2. Modify the purified cellulose: The purified cellulose is dissolved in a solution that modifies the structure of the cellulose. The solution includes acetic acid, acetic anhydride, and a catalyst like sulfuric acid. The mixed solution will be aged for around 20 hours, where partial hydrolysis occurs. During this step, a few or all of the hydroxyl groups in cellulose are replaced with acetyl (CH₃ · CO · O—) groups to form cellulose (tri)acetate. 
   • When five or six hydroxyl groups are replaced, acetate fiber (or secondary cellulose acetate) is formed. 
   • When all hydroxyl groups are replaced, triacetate fiber (or primary cellulose acetate) is formed. Triacetate fiber is stronger than acetate fiber. It absorbs lewater and is thus more often used to make fabrics for garments as clothes will be easier to wash and faster to dry. 
   • Though most acetate fabrics are made with triacetate fiber instead of acetate fiber, the term acetate is often used to describe this material, even if incorrectly. Please take note that we acknowledge the differences but will continue using “acetate” for both fibers to make the text concise and easy to read.
3. Dissolve cellulose acetate in acetone to form the spinning solution.
4. Extrude the spinning solution: The solution is fed through spinnerets to create filaments. 
5. Stretching: The filaments are stretched to create uniformity, increasing strength and tenacity. 
6. Loading: The yarn is loaded into beams, cones, or bobbins, ready to be used for garment making.
7. Weaving or knitting: This is the final step of manufacturing acetate fabrics, which can be used for many types of clothes, from wedding attires to everyday dresses to sportswear. 

Let’s now dive deep into a few key sustainable issues of this life-cycle stage: 

Manufacturing Acetate Fabrics Uses A Lot of Chemicals

Like cupro and rayon fabrics, acetate fabrics are made from plant cellulose. 

In acetate fabrics, however, cellulose is heavily modified, typically with fossil-based chemicals, and transformed into esters of cellulose. This sets acetate fiber apart from other artificial cellulose-based fibers like cupro, viscose, modal, and lyocell. 

While rayon—viscose, modal, lyocell—and cupro are regenerated cellulose fibers in which cellulose is dissolved and reformed, acetate is a thermoplastic fiber. 

Typically, the chemicals used in the modification process are: acetic acid, acetic anhydride, and sulfuric acid.

• These chemicals are typically derived from fossil fuels—nonrenewable resources with serious adverse environmental impacts. 
• Additionally, these can cause harm to workers who handle them, especially if they are in concentrated forms. For example, sulfuric acid is a corrosive substance, destructive to the skin, eyes, teeth, and lungs. Severe exposure can result in death. 

Manufacturing Acetate Fabrics Is Energy-Intensive 

Manufacturing acetate fabrics can be energy-intensive. Some processes, such as dissolving cellulose acetate and extruding the solution into filaments, often require significant energy. 

When the energy for manufacturing comes from fossil fuels, the carbon emission of this stage becomes relatively high. 

Where Are Acetate Fabrics Usually Manufactured

The largest manufacturer of acetate is the United States, followed by China. Other large acetate producers include Japan, South Korea, and Italy. 

When acetate fabrics are made in the European Union, for example, in Italy, the group’s strict REACH chemical guidelines guarantee that the workers are protected from harmful chemical handling practices. However, it might not be the case in other countries outside the EU. 

Another significant factor relevant to manufacturing location is energy generation. Because manufacturing acetate is energy-intensive, using renewable energy (solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass) significantly reduces carbon emissions at this stage. 

According to Our World in Data, the share of renewable energy in primary energy varies significantly among major acetate fabric producers. 

The following are the renewable energy share in primary energy in acetate-producing countries:

• US: 10.66% renewable energy
• China: 14.95% renewable energy
• Japan: 11.46% renewable energy
• South Korea: 3.72% renewable energy
• Italy: 18.36% renewable energy

How Sustainable Is the Transportation of Acetate Fabrics

Transporting acetate fabrics is generally unsustainable. It can be a carbon-intensive life-cycle stage for clothing and household items made with acetate fabrics. This is due to the distances covered and emissions associated with transporting vehicles. Acetate fabrics typically travel from forests or fields (where trees or plants are grown) to factories, then sorting centers, shops, and consumers’ homes before going to recycling centers or landfills. 

For example, in the life-cycle of acetate clothes, transportation typically occurs: 

• from fields or forests to the acetate fiber and fabrics manufacturing location(s),
• from the acetate fabric manufacturing location to sorting centers and/or physical shops, 
• from sorting centers and/or physical shops to the consumer’s home, and
• from the consumer’s home to the centers for recycling and/or disposal.

Traveling Distances of Acetate Fabrics Vary Depending on the Supply Chain

It is not uncommon for cellulose-based fabrics like acetate fabrics to have their supply chain spreading globally, meaning that crop cultivation, fiber production, fabric spinning, and clothes manufacturing might happen in various towns, countries, or even continents. 

Here are some example scenarios for transporting acetate fabrics: 

• Cotton linters are harvested at the same time as cotton fibers from fields in India and shipped to factories in Japan, where acetate fibers and fabrics are made. The final products are then sold primarily to the US market.
• Acetate manufacturers ship eucalyptus wood from forests in Australia to factories in China and to consumer markets in Europe or the US.
• Beechwood is harvested from European forests before being turned into wood pulp, then acetate fibers in Italy. Fabrics and clothes are made in the same location. Final products are sold in Europe and North America. 

You can reduce the transportation carbon footprint by choosing acetate fabrics that travel a shorter distance from the forests and/or fields and are made closer to your home.

The Carbon Footprint of Transporting Acetate Fabrics Depends Largely on the Vehicle of Transportation 

During its life-cycle, a piece of acetate clothing can be transported using various types of vehicles, including: 

• large container ships 
• planes 
• freight trains 
• long-distance trucks 
• short-distance delivering vans 

There are also various types of transportation vehicles used that have different carbon footprint impacts: 

• Large container ships are generally the most carbon-efficient option for international transportation of goods, while planes are the heaviest carbon emitter.
  Large container ships emit, per unit of weight and distance, half as much carbon dioxide as a train and one-fifth and one-fiftieth as much as a truck and a plane (respectively).
• Deliveries made by planes—for example, to fulfill fast shipping options for clothing—are the mode of transportation with the highest carbon footprint. 

As a consumer, you can choose not to pick the fast delivery option when ordering acetate clothing and household items to reduce the carbon footprint of your order.

How Sustainable Is the Usage of Acetate Fabrics

The usage of acetate fabrics is generally not very sustainable. Acetate is a thermoplastic fiber. Thus, washing acetate clothing and household items contributes to the increasingly serious problem of microplastic presence in marine environments. In some cases, acetate fabrics require dry cleaning because, as a thermoplastic, this material can melt when it gets hot. Dry cleaning often uses harmful solvents with adverse environmental impacts. 

Unlike other semi-synthetic fibers also based on plant materials—cupro, viscose, modal, and lyocell—acetate is classified as a thermoplastic fiber. Consequently, a major sustainability issue with using acetate fabrics is the microplastics released into the environment due to washing the material.

According to a study, plastic-based textiles are responsible for around half a million tons of plastic microfibers shed into the oceans annually as these fabrics are washed. At sea or in other bodies of water, these microplastics cause harm to fish that ingest them and numerous animals (including us humans) further up the food chain. 

Being a thermoplastic also means acetate fiber can melt when heated. Thus, in many cases, acetate clothing requires dry cleaning. Often dry cleaning is very chemically intensive, and it can harm the environment, animals, and the dry cleaners. 

How Sustainable Is the End-of-Life of Acetate Fabrics

The end-of-life stage for acetate fabrics is generally not sustainable because acetate fibers take a relatively long time to degrade, largely depending on the percentage of bio-based material and how a piece of acetate fabric is discarded. 

Acetate fabrics can break down, yet the degrading period is typically long and varies depending on various factors. These include:

• The percentage of bio-based material in the fabrics: the higher the plant-based materials, the higher the degradability (i.e., it takes less time for the fabrics to break down). 
• The form of the disposal: thin, tiny strips of acetate materials would eventually biodegrade, while thick pieces of acetate fabrics would take much longer to break down partially. 
• The environment of the disposal: the places where acetate materials are discarded can affect the progress of degrading. Examples of disposal environments are soil, water, an anaerobic environment (a landfill), outdoor space with sunlight, or places with the presence of the right microbes.

According to a study, acetate textile materials significantly deteriorated after two months in moist soil and broke up completely after 4–9 months.

In comparison, the degradation periods of other plant-based semi-synthetic fabrics—cupro, viscose, modal, and lyocell—are generally counted in weeks (meaning much shorter compared to acetate fabrics). 

On the other hand, synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon, or acrylic will take hundreds of years to degrade (meaning much longer than acetate fabrics). 

How Circular Are Products Made of Acetate Fabrics

In the textile industry, a circular economy is designed to keep products and materials in use for as long as possible, especially through reusing and recycling. It also covers regenerating natural systems that support the industry and reducing polluted waste released into such systems.

“The circular economy is a systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution.”

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

As a whole, the textile industry is almost linear: 97% of the input are new resource.

Technically, recycling acetate materials is possible. Acetate can be melted and remold as a thermoplastic fiber to form a new material. 

However, recyclability is much more limited when acetate fibers are mixed with other fibers, such as wool. 

How Can You Buy Acetate Fabrics More Sustainably

The key to sustainably buying acetate products is to check on relevant environmental and original certifications. 

• Forest Stewardship Council: An FSC certification ensures that the wood (or wood-like material) comes from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. There are two types of FSC Certification: 
  • FSC Forest Management Certification, with a focus on the original of the wood—the forest. 
  • FSC Chain of Custody Certification, which focuses on the path from the forest to the customer’s home. 
• Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification: PEFC’s approaches to sustainable forest management are in line with protecting the forests globally and locally and making the certificate work for everyone. Getting a PEFC certification is strict enough to ensure the sustainable management of a forest is socially just, ecologically sound, and economically viable but attainable not only by big but small forest owners.
• STeP by OEKO-TEX®: STeP by OEKO-TEX® is an independent certification system for brands, retailers, and manufacturers from the textile and leather industry. It communicates organizational environmental measures, including reducing carbon footprint and water usage.
• OEKO-TEX^® Standard 100: OEKO-TEX® labels aim to ensure that products pose no risk to human health (i.e. containing banned chemicals). 

Some certifications are signaling brands’ efforts toward lowered environmental impacts and a circular economy are: 

• B Corp Certification: The label B Corp is a certification reserved for for-profit companies. Certified holders are assessed on their social and environmental impacts. 
• Cradle2Cradle Certification: Cradle2Cradle provides a standardized approach to material circularity. It assesses whether products have been suitably designed and made with the circular economy in mind covering five critical categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness.

Where to Buy Sustainable Acetate Fabrics 

As we have established throughout the life-cycle assessment, acetate fabrics are generally unsustainable. The most significant reasons are as follows: 

• Manufacturing acetate fabrics typically uses significant amounts of fossil-based chemicals, which could have adverse health impacts on exposure and pollute the environment. 
• Washing acetate fabrics releases microplastic into marine environments, causing harm to wildlife. 
• Conventional acetate fabrics are not biodegradable and, thus, take up space in landfills for a relatively long time, especially in comparison with other semi-synthetic fibers made with wood and plant materials such as lyocell, modal, viscose, and cupro. 

However, researchers and manufacturers have found ways to make acetate fabrics more sustainable, including: 

• acetate fibers made with a relatively higher percentage of plant-based material to be qualified as bio-acetate, or
• the strict control of chemical usage and disposal, or
• a higher share of renewable energy used in manufacturing. 

As a consumer, you can look for these indicators when buying clothing and household items made with acetate fabrics.

Why Is It Important to Buy Products Made of More Sustainable Fabrics

It is important to buy products made of more sustainable fabrics because a sustainable textile industry has a lower carbon footprint, helps save natural resources, and is better for forests, animals, and humans. 

Buying Sustainable Fabrics Reduces Your Carbon Footprint 

The production of clothing and footwear is estimated to contribute 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions—more than all international flights and shipping combined. If the fashion industry were a country, it would be the fourth largest emitter of carbon dioxide. 

One way to reduce the carbon footprint of the clothes you buy is to opt for sustainable fabrics. Sustainable fabrics, which are often made with natural or recycled fibers, have relatively low carbon footprints compared to petroleum-based fabrics. For example, organic cotton made in the US has a carbon footprint of 2.35 kg CO₂ (per ton of spun fiber)—a quarter of polyester’s carbon footprint.

Buying Sustainable Fabrics Reduces Demand For Natural Resources and Waste Management

The textile industry uses water and land to grow cotton and other fibers. It is estimated that 79 billion cubic meters of water were used for the sector worldwide in 2015. For example, producing a single cotton t-shirt requires as much water as one person drinks for 2.5 years (2,700 liters of fresh water).

Worse yet, the textile economy is vastly more linear than circular: the largest amount of resources used in clothes ended up in landfill (instead of being recycled to remake clothes). According to a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation,

• Less than 3% of materials used in the textile economy in 2015 came from recycled sources.
• In other words, more than 97% of resources used in making clothes are newly extracted. 

When clothing items are disposed of within a short period of time—under a year in the case of half of the fast fashion clothes—the natural systems that provide raw materials for fabrics don’t have enough time to recover and regenerate, which could lead to ecological breakdown. 

Sustainable fabrics are made with less water and emissions while lasting longer:

• Because they are durable, you don’t need to buy new clothes too often. 
• Thus, you help reduce the pressure to extract more resources for making new items. 

Similarly, making and consuming sustainable fabrics made with recycled materials reduces the demand for virgin materials while helping tackle waste management. 

Buying Sustainable Fabrics Encourages Sustainable Management of Forests

Sustainable plant-based fabrics are made with raw materials from forests and plantations that are sustainably managed, such as complying with FSC standards. 

When you buy sustainable plant-based fabrics, you discourage unsustainable forestry practices like illegal logging. You can help reduce deforestation, biodiversity loss, and the effect of climate change. 

Buying Sustainable Fabrics Encourages Fairer Treatment of Animals 

The fashion industry is rife with animal mistreatment when it comes to making animal-based fabrics like hemp or hemp. Every year, billions of animals suffer and die for clothing and accessories.

Buying sustainable vegan alternatives can help to reduce the pressure on raising more and more animals to meet the demand for animal-based fabrics while sacrificing their well-being and lives. 

Suppose you have to buy fabrics made with, for example, hemp or hemp; make sure you only choose brands committed to cruelty-free products. In that case, you help advocate better treatments for animals raised within the textile industry. 

Using Sustainable Fabrics Encourages Fairer Treatment of Textile Workers 

Recent statistics from UNICEF estimated as many as 170 million child laborers worldwide, many of whom were engaged in some form of work in the textile industry. They don’t get paid minimum wages and often work long hours. 

When you buy sustainable fabrics from brands transparent about the working conditions at their factories, you discourage the use of child labor and help promote better working conditions for textile workers.

Final Thoughts

Acetate fabrics are generally unsustainable as they are commonly made using fossil-based chemicals. The manufacturing process is typically chemical- and energy-intensive. Washing acetate clothes also contributes to microplastic problems in marine environments. Lastly, conventional acetate fabrics take a relatively long time to degrade. 

To make using acetate fabrics somewhat more sustainable, follow these steps:

1. Buy second-hand, recycled, or upcycled acetate clothes.
2. While using acetate clothing items, maximize the number of wears between washes, and keep them as long as possible.
3. At the end-of-life of your acetate garments, upcycle the material to extend its usage and arrange for it to be recycled or properly disposed of.

Stay impactful,

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