“Natural” fibers in lakes: A 150-year sedimentary perspective on persistence

Natural fibre textiles, such as cotton, are widely marketed as greener, biodegradable materials within the fashion and textiles industry. However, contemporary environmental assessments of whole (plastic and non-plastic) textile fibre pollution regularly find natural, not plastic, fibres dominate environmental samples. Here we combine palaeolimnological, archival, and forensic science methodologies to evaluate long-term fibre preservation in sediments. We recover individual textile fibres from a unique 150-year lake sediment record from Rudyard Lake, Staffordshire, UK. Between c.1876 and c.1979, all bar two fibres recovered from this sediment were natural. After c.1979, fibre accumulation rates increase, driven primarily by an increase in cotton accumulation. These data challenge assumptions of natural fibre biodegradability and add to the technofossil record of historic human activity. We conclude that there is a pressing need to reconsider whether natural textile fibres are as benign as is largely assumed, particularly in pursuit of plastic alternatives for fashion and textiles.