Polyester is everywhere from t-shirts and leggings to luxury fashion labels. It’s cheap, stretchy, and easy to manufacture. But what many consumers don’t realize is that polyester is made from crude oil the same stuff that fuels cars and pollutes oceans.
In 2025, more consumers are waking up to the truth: synthetic fabrics like polyester are doing serious harm to our planet and health. At Maleema, we’ve taken a firm stand and we’re proud to say:
We don’t do polyester. Not now, not ever.
Here’s why.
💣 The Ugly Truth About Polyester
Polyester is derived from petroleum a non-renewable resource responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, oil spills, and ecosystem destruction.
Fact: Producing 1 kg of polyester emits nearly 3x more CO₂ than 1 kg of cotton.
Unlike natural fibers, polyester takes up to 500 years to decompose. Every time you wash a polyester garment, it sheds microplastics into waterways, harming marine life and entering our food chain.
To make polyester soft, stretchy, or wrinkle-free, manufacturers use harmful chemicals and dyes. These can irritate skin, pollute rivers, and harm workers in the production process.
Polyester enables mass production at low cost perfect for fast fashion giants, but a disaster for landfill. These clothes are worn a few times, then thrown away, contributing to the 92 million tons of textile waste dumped annually.
At Maleema, we’re building a different future one that puts the planet first.
🌾 We use agro-waste fabrics that repurpose agricultural by-products into high-quality textiles.
🧑🏾🎨 We work with local artisans using time-honored weaving techniques, not factories filled with synthetics.
🔁 We design for circularity, using only biodegradable, natural materials.
Our pieces are breathable, skin-friendly, and guilt-free made to be worn with pride and passed down, not thrown out.
✔️ Choose garments made from organic cotton, linen, hemp, or upcycled fibers.
✔️ Support small-batch, ethical brands that value transparency over trends.
✔️ Wash your clothes less frequently and avoid synthetic blends.
✔️ Ask questions: “What is this made of?” and “Where does it go when I’m done with it?”
2025 is not the year to ignore what our clothes are made of. Sustainable style starts with sustainable materials and that means breaking up with polyester.
At Maleema, we choose natural, regenerative, and biodegradable because fashion should never cost the earth.
