Ejercicio A1 · Inglés PAU Valencia Ordinaria solapamiento 2024

TEXT A/TEXTO A

THE HIDDEN PLASTICS IN OUR CLOTHES – AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

There is a lot of plastic hidden in our clothes. Sometimes it’s in plain sight, like a pair of pleather trousers that squeak with every step. Sometimes it’s disguised, like the elastic inside the waistband of your otherwise organic cotton shorts. Often it is invisible, like the microplastics shed by synthetic materials; while you may never see them, they have been found at the bottom of the ocean and in human blood, placenta and baby poo.

Despite our awareness of the perils of plastic, fashion’s dependence on it persists. A recent report by the sustainability not-for-profit Fibershed says that, between 1980 and 2014, production of polyester increased by nearly 900%.

Two common plastics, polyester and nylon, account for 69% of all the materials used in clothing globally and that number is expected to increase to 75% by 2030, according to Georgia Rae-Taylor, the sustainability strategy director for environmental consultancy Eco-age.

So why do we continue to use plastics? Synthetic materials are cheap and making them isn’t dependent on seasons or farms affected by rainfall or heatwaves, as is the case with cotton and wool. Without them, fast fashion and mass-produced luxury – as well as the incredible waste they generate – would almost certainly not exist.

“Material sourcing of our clothing matters,” says Heather Podoll, who works at Fibershed. “Our plastic-based textile economy has led to unsustainable overproduction of clothing that is unhealthy for our communities and our ecosystems.” We should do our best to minimise the harm.

Adapted from an article by Lucianne Tonti, The Guardian, 13-2-2024.

A1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)

a)

Can we always be sure that there is no plastic in our clothes?

b)

Why are plastics employed so often if we know that the environment is damaged?