Polyester holds the moral high ground

If you ever thought that in choosing cotton over polyester you were opting for a natural fabric, read this review from Saturday’s Times of a new and harrowing book about the cotton industry: “Fugitive Denim A Moving Story of People and Pants” (I was sure this must be a misprint, but it really is the title.)

“Though cotton makes up only about 3 per cent of our global agricultural land, it consumes nearly a quarter of the world's insecticides and 10 per cent of the world's pesticides - more than any other crop. The average pair of jeans carries three quarters of a pound of chemicals.”
It’s certainly something to bear in mind when talking about product substitution.