Pupils rebel over chemicals used in school uniforms

"They leach out into us"

- Damien Gayle

Hugo Keane's investigation into polyester began at home. He had just started year 7 but, thanks to Covid, he was stuck at home in Camden, north London.

"It was a family pandemic project," said his mother, Alexandra Milenov. "He sat down with my husband and did the calculations on the microplastic release of three items of his uniform: the blazer, the PE T-shirt and the shorts." What he found out was to significantly affect his school career.

Almost every child in England spends about 195 days a year in uniform. They are not a legal requirement, but the Department for Education insists they promote "the ethos of a school", provide "a sense of belonging and identity" and set "an appropriate tone for education". Most are made from polyester, a petroleum-derived fibre that is one of the world's most significant environmental pollutants.

Polyester, the "miracle fabric", was invented in Britain in the 1940s. Thanks to its durability, economy and ease of production, it has dominated the global garment industry, and by 2023, 71.1m tonnes were produced around the world - 57% of global textile production.

Polyester is not biodegradable. "Washing causes each item of clothing to shed tiny strands, or microfibres, which are carried down the drain and into our water systems," said Dr Melis Duyar, associate professor in chemical and process engineering at the University of Surrey. "Microplastics are particularly hard to remove from the environment and are easily ingested by organisms across the food chain."

The infiltration of microfibres into the biosphere is now well known - these insidious chemical pollutants have been detected from the Mariana Trench to the top of Everest, and in almost every organ of the human body. The long-term effects of them remain uncertain.