Textiles is the name given to cloth fabric woven from yarn. We use them to make clothes, bedding and towels.

Textiles are amazing! They keep us warm or cool. Can be dry or wet. Can be washed - or don't like being washed at all!

Different fabrics show different properties, depending what they're made from or how they have been treated. This is why we use them for different things.

The oldest trousers in the world, dated at about 3000 years old, were made of linen and found in China.

See article here: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/first-pants-worn-horse-riders-3000-years-ago

Plastic is made from oil. This is a non-renewable resource, dig up from underground or under the sea. We have a limited amount of it and cannot produce any more once we have used it up.

Polyester was invented in 1941 in Britain by material scientists at the Calico Printer's Association of Manchester. It is a synthetic compound made from oil. More recently polyester has been made from recycled plastic bottles. It is incredibly useful as it is so long lasting and durable.

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic. They end up all over the place as they are so small and easily washed into rivers and into the sea.

All plastic objects break into smaller and smaller pieces over time. They never disappear. They remain in the environment and can affect wildlife and our natural world.

Reduce - Buy less clothes, buy sustainably, don't buy fast fashion that won't last

Reuse - give or swap old clothes with other people, donate to secondhand shops

Recycle - make sure old clothes get recycled in clothes bins, use old clothes to make new clothes