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Hubbub, a UK charity, analyzed 108 sweaters sourced from 11 online retailers and small street shops and found that 95% of them were made entirely or partially from plastic.
Acrylic is the most common plastic fiber found in these festive sweaters, with 44% being made entirely from acrylic material and the remaining three-quarters containing acrylic to some degree.
A 2016 study by Plymouth University in England showed that acrylic releases nearly 730,000 microfibers per wash, more than polyester or polyester-cotton blends. With the high use of acrylic, Hubbub warns that even a Christmas sweater "has the potential to exacerbate the problem of plastic pollution in our oceans."
The charity estimates that customers in the UK will buy 12 million Christmas sweaters this holiday season, despite already owning 65 million. Notably, these items will only be worn once during the holiday.
"Fast fashion is a huge threat to the natural world, and Christmas sweaters in particular contain a lot of plastic," said Sarah Divall, project coordinator at Hubbub. Divall added that sweaters should be "worn regularly, not just for Christmas." To address these environmental issues, charities are encouraging people to exchange their sweaters with friends or buy secondhand.
This warning comes ahead of Save the Christmas Jumper Day on December 13th, when people in the UK are encouraged to wear festive attire and donate to charity. Gemma Sherrington, Chief Marketing and Fundraising Officer at Save the Children UK, told CNN that the charity has been "working hard" to ensure the event continues annually without exacerbating the enormous climate issues facing the world. Sherrington added that Save the Children wants to make this year's event the "most sustainable" yet and has encouraged offices and schools to organize sweater exchanges.
