#we need better regulation of the textile industry so that companies are discouraged from plastic

[distractionactivated]

There's something very strange about how people online, usually Americans it feels like but I've seen Brits do it too, talk about natural fibres that makes me feel like we're living in alternative dimensions. In my world and the life I live, cotton is literally everywhere clothes are sold. I can walk into a nearby supermarket and get cotton clothes. Even the fast fashion retailers near me sell cotton. Most of what I can buy locally is either 100% cotton, or a blend that's largely cotton, with increasing amounts of viscose. Even linen, come summer I can easily find linen or linen blend shirts - a bit more expensive, sure, but in the same spaces.

My washing machine has three settings for cottons and one for wools. (And yes, I entrust my handknit items to whatever washing machine is available, and have always been fine.) If I go second hand shopping, it is easy to find cotton, though I will often also encounter viscose and not-infrequently other natural fibres. My iron has settings for cotton/linen, wool/silk, and synthetic. I grew up wearing cotton! It's familiar to me!

Like, it's really weird to me to treat all four 'standard' natural fibres (and their semi-natural cousin viscose/lyocell/tencel/rayon etc) in the same breath, as the same level of difficulty to find and live with and use and care for. I'm always kind of shocked that people seem to be living in the Plastic Dimension and I think yall in there should be mad about it, but it is also a really recent phenomenon and I think it's worth remembering that 'natural fibres' aren't a monolith and they may be more available and easier to handle than you think.