Plastic-Free Materials Glossary
Every fiber, one honest question: is it actually plastic-free? Written by the people who build plastic-free fabric, not a content mill.
This glossary answers one question per fiber: is it actually plastic-free? Natural fibers like organic cotton, linen, hemp, and merino wool are plastic-free. Regenerated cellulosics like lyocell and modal are plastic-free with an asterisk. Polyester, nylon, elastane, and recycled polyester are plastic and shed microplastics. Every entry gives the chemistry, the performance trade-off, and a plain verdict, from a manufacturer that builds plastic-free fabric.
The plastic-free verdict on every common fiber
Most fiber glossaries dodge the plastic question or get the cellulosics wrong. This one answers it directly for each material, then links to a full page with the chemistry, the performance trade-offs, and the honest verdict.
| Fiber | Plastic-free? | Fiber type | Microplastic-free? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Cotton | Plastic-free | Natural, cellulose (plant) | No |
| Linen (Flax) | Plastic-free | Natural, bast cellulose (plant) | No |
| Hemp | Plastic-free | Natural, bast cellulose (plant) | No |
| Tencel Lyocell | Qualified | Regenerated cellulose (semi-synthetic, plant) | No |
| Modal | Qualified | Regenerated cellulose (semi-synthetic, plant) | No |
| Merino Wool | Plastic-free | Natural, protein (animal) | No |
| Polyester | It is plastic | Synthetic thermoplastic (petroleum) | Yes |
| Nylon (Polyamide) | It is plastic | Synthetic thermoplastic (petroleum) | Yes |
| Elastane (Spandex) | It is plastic | Synthetic elastomer (petroleum) | Yes |
| Recycled Polyester (rPET) | It is plastic | Synthetic thermoplastic (recycled petroleum) | Yes |
| Acrylic | It is plastic | Synthetic thermoplastic (petroleum) | Yes |
| Viscose (Rayon) | Qualified | Regenerated cellulose (semi-synthetic, plant) | No |
| Bamboo Fabric | Qualified | Regenerated cellulose (semi-synthetic, plant) | No |
| Acetate | Qualified | Cellulose ester (semi-synthetic, plant-based) | Yes |
| Polypropylene | It is plastic | Synthetic thermoplastic (petroleum, polyolefin) | Yes |
| Silk | Plastic-free | Natural, protein (animal) | No |
| Cashmere | Plastic-free | Natural, protein (animal) | No |
| Alpaca | Plastic-free | Natural, protein (animal) | No |
| Cupro | Qualified | Regenerated cellulose (semi-synthetic, plant) | No |
| Econyl (Recycled Nylon) | It is plastic | Synthetic thermoplastic (recycled petroleum polyamide) | Yes |
| Conventional Cotton | Plastic-free | Natural, cellulose (plant) | No |
| Recycled Cotton | Plastic-free | Natural, recycled cellulose (plant) | No |
| Down | Plastic-free | Natural, protein (animal plumage) | No |
| Deadstock Fabric | Qualified | Varies (any fiber; sold as surplus) | Yes |
| Genuine Leather | Qualified | Natural, protein (animal hide) | No |
| Cork Fabric | Qualified | Natural, plant bark (laminated sheet) | No |
| Piñatex | Qualified | Plant fiber non-woven with bioplastic binder and resin coat | Yes |
| PU Leather | It is plastic | Synthetic, polyurethane or PVC coating on fabric | Yes |
| PLA (Ingeo) | It is plastic | Bioplastic (thermoplastic polyester from plant sugar) | Yes |
| Microfiber | It is plastic | Synthetic, ultra-fine polyester and nylon | Yes |
| Ramie | Plastic-free | Natural, bast cellulose (plant) | No |
| Jute | Plastic-free | Natural, bast cellulose (plant) | No |
| Kapok | Plastic-free | Natural, seed-hair cellulose (plant) | No |
| Mohair | Plastic-free | Natural, protein (animal) | No |
| Angora | Plastic-free | Natural, protein (animal) | No |
| Neoprene | It is plastic | Synthetic rubber (foamed polychloroprene) | Yes |
| Ripstop | It is plastic | Weave construction, usually synthetic (nylon or polyester) | Yes |
| PTFE Membrane | It is plastic | Fluoropolymer film (expanded PTFE) | Yes |
| Waxed Cotton | Qualified | Natural cotton or linen base with a wax finish | No |
| Mushroom Leather | Qualified | Mycelium (fungal) base, often with synthetic finish | Yes |
| Pima Cotton | Plastic-free | Natural, cellulose (plant) | No |
| Yak Wool | Plastic-free | Natural, protein (animal) | No |
| Camel Hair | Plastic-free | Natural, protein (animal) | No |
| Qiviut | Plastic-free | Natural, protein (animal) | No |
| Sisal | Plastic-free | Natural, leaf fiber (plant) | No |
| Coir | Plastic-free | Natural, fruit fiber (plant) | No |
| SeaCell | Qualified | Regenerated cellulose with seaweed (semi-synthetic, plant) | No |
| Milk Fiber | Qualified | Regenerated protein (casein), semi-synthetic | No |
| PVC-Coated Fabric | It is plastic | Textile backing with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coating | Yes |
| Wool-Nylon Blend | It is plastic | Natural wool blended with synthetic nylon (polyamide) | Yes |
Browse the glossary
Organic cotton is plastic-free.
Linen is plastic-free.
Hemp is plastic-free.
Lyocell is plastic-free in the way that matters: it is regenerated cellulose made from wood pulp, not a petroleum plastic, and it biodegrades.
Modal is plastic-free with an asterisk.
Merino wool is plastic-free.
Polyester is plastic.
Nylon is plastic.
Elastane is plastic.
Recycled polyester is still plastic.
Acrylic is plastic.
Viscose, also called rayon, is plastic-free with an asterisk.
Bamboo fabric is plastic-free with an asterisk, and the bigger catch is labeling.
Acetate is plastic-free with a heavy asterisk.
Polypropylene is plastic.
Silk is plastic-free.
Cashmere is plastic-free.
Alpaca is plastic-free.
Cupro is plastic-free with an asterisk.
Recycled nylon, including the Econyl brand, is still plastic.
Conventional cotton is plastic-free.
Recycled cotton is plastic-free.
Down is plastic-free.
Deadstock fabric is plastic-free only if the original fabric was.
Genuine leather is not plastic; it is tanned animal hide, a protein material.
Cork fabric is mostly plastic-free but rarely entirely.
Piñatex is part plant, part plastic.
PU leather is plastic.
PLA is a plastic, even though it is made from corn.
Microfiber is plastic.
Ramie is plastic-free.
Jute is plastic-free.
Kapok is plastic-free.
Mohair is plastic-free.
Angora is plastic-free.
Neoprene is plastic.
Ripstop is usually plastic.
A PTFE membrane is plastic, and a fluoropolymer one.
Waxed cotton is a plastic-free fiber with a finish that may not be.
Mushroom leather is part bio, part plastic, depending on the product.
Pima cotton is plastic-free.
Yak wool is plastic-free.
Camel hair is plastic-free.
Qiviut is plastic-free.
Sisal is plastic-free.
Coir is plastic-free.
SeaCell is plastic-free with an asterisk.
Milk fiber is usually plastic-free, with an asterisk.
PVC-coated fabric is plastic.
A wool-nylon blend is not plastic-free.
How we define plastic-free
A fiber is plastic if its polymer is a petroleum-derived thermoplastic: polyester, nylon, elastane, acrylic, and recycled polyester all qualify, and they all shed microplastics. A fiber is plastic-free if it is a plant or animal polymer that biodegrades: cotton, linen, hemp, and wool. Regenerated cellulosics like lyocell and modal sit in between: manufactured, but built from wood cellulose rather than oil, so they are plastic-free with an asterisk and do not shed microplastics.
The practical catch for brands is the blend. A cotton tee with 5 percent elastane is not plastic-free, and a wool base layer cut with nylon is not either. Being plastic-free is a property of the whole garment, not just the headline fiber. That is the problem OHZEHN-TEX™ is built to solve: a 99.5 percent plant-derived platform using castor-oil polyamide and corn-derived stretch, so a fabric can hit athletic stretch and recovery without adding petroleum plastic. The full material logic is in our plastic-free performance guide.