調査 — The Plastic Investigation
You sleep in plastic.
Most "easy-care" bedding is polyester — a fibre spun from petroleum. An investigation into the eight hours a night you spend inside it.
Tonight is another eight hours.
The hours accrue either way. The fibre is the only choice you get to make.
Chapter 01 — The material
Polyester is PET. The bottle, drawn into thread.
Polyethylene terephthalate. The same polymer as a water bottle — melted, extruded, and drawn into filament fine enough to weave. It never grew anywhere. And it doesn't stay put: studies associate synthetic textiles with the shedding of microscopic plastic fragments throughout their use. [S1]
Petroleum-born
Drilled and refined, not grown. No field, no harvest, no season.
Hydrophobic
Repels moisture rather than absorbing it — the 3 a.m. clammy feeling has a chemistry.
Persistent
Fragments are estimated to outlive the sheet they came from by centuries.
Chapter 02 — The audit
Where plastic hides in a made bed.
Labels talk texture, not fibre. Read the small print of a typical "hotel-quality" bed:
"Microfiber" sheets
100% polyester, brushed fine enough to imitate cotton. The name is the fibre.
"Down-alternative" duvet fill
Polyester wadding. The alternative to down is plastic.
Pillow shell & core
Woven polyester shell around hollow-fibre polyester filling.
"Easy-care" finish
Wrinkle-resistant resins; some are associated with formaldehyde release. [S5]
Optical brighteners
The blue-white glow of "hotel white" is an additive, not cleanliness.
Chapter 03 — The comparison
The same bed, twice.
Brushed polyester against the fibres we actually sleep in — GOTS organic cotton, European flax linen, TENCEL™ lyocell.
Chapter 04 — The evidence
What the studies keep finding.
Microfibres associated with a single 6 kg wash of synthetic textiles in laboratory testing. [S2]
Studies report synthetic fibres among the most common particles in indoor air — where the night happens. [S3]
Breathing-simulation research associates indoor environments with measurable inhaled microplastic, hour after hour. [S4]
Association language throughout — these studies measure exposure, not diagnosis. See the source registry at the end of this page.
Chapter 05 — The timeline
Regulators have started counting.
ECHA proposes a broad restrictionon intentionally added microplastics across the EU.
The EU adopts the REACH microplastics restriction.Intentionally added microplastics begin phasing out. [S6]
Ecodesign regulation (ESPR) enters into force.Textiles are named a priority product group.
Unintentional microfibre release is next.Measures targeting synthetic textile shedding are under discussion.
Dates re-verified against primary sources before publication.
Chapter 06 — The alternative
What we sleep in — and never will.
Our one non-negotiable: nothing petroleum-based, nothing that sheds microplastics, nothing that can't be certified. The list is the brand.
Always
- GOTS-certified organic cotton — percale & sateen
- European flax linen — OEKO-TEX, European Flax
- TENCEL™ lyocell from FSC eucalyptus
- Undyed, or low-impact GOTS-approved dyes
- Corozo & wooden buttons, organic cotton thread
- Plastic-free, recyclable packaging
Never
- Polyester, nylon, acrylic — any synthetic fibre
- "Microfiber" & poly-cotton blends
- Conventional, non-organic cotton
- Optical brighteners
- Formaldehyde "easy-care" finishes
- Single-use plastic wrap
50% off. Sleep in what the earth made.
Organic cotton, European flax and TENCEL™ lyocell — every set in the summer sale at half price.
Tonight is another eight hours. Spend them in plant fibre.
Shop the summer saleDiscount applied automatically at checkout.
Honest questions
Asked, answered plainly.
Is polyester bedding proven to harm you?+
No — and we won't claim it is. The research measures exposure: shedding, indoor fibres, inhalation. Health outcomes are still being studied. We cite what the studies show and stop there.
Isn't cotton also treated with chemicals?+
Conventional cotton can be. That's why we use GOTS-certified organic cotton only — the certification covers the fibre and every finish that touches it.
How do I know what my current bedding is made of?+
The sewn-in care label. "100% polyester", "microfiber", or "polyblend" is plastic. If the label names no fibre at all, that is also an answer.
The registry
Sources.
Every claim on this page is written in association language and anchored to this registry.