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

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