Safe to wear, but rough on the environment.
↳ Safe to wear; production isn't clean — donate when done.
Why this material grade?
This product scored 65/100 on the 7-axis material rubric, based on its composition of 100% Pure Cotton.
C (55-69): Average material composition — typical blend, reasonable for everyday wear.
Everyday quality
This fabric does the job for daily wear. Not premium, not bad — it's the middle of the road. At least it's easy to care for.
Breakdown
Cotton biodegrades in 1-5 months. When you're done with this, it returns to the earth — not the ocean.
Network
Cost per wear
rough estimateReasonable cost-per-wear
How we got there
Base for Pants: 200 expected wears.
× 0.70 for Cotton (low-durability fiber, durability 60).
= 140 expected wears. $120 ÷ 140 ≈ 86¢/wear.
Missing GSM — this is a category-level estimate, not garment-specific. Expect ±30% variance.
Real life is messier than a formula: how often you wash, how you wash, whether you wear it inside-out, dry on low — all of it shifts the number. This is the ceiling under reasonable care.
Care Guide
Decode symbols →Wash
warm (40°C)
Bleach
Oxygen only
Dry
tumble medium
Iron
medium
Dry Clean
avoid
Best For
Excellent comfort (80) and easy care (75) for daily wear
Good durability (60) and comfort (80) for office wear
Good comfort (80) and breathability (85) for sleeping
Good breathability (85) and comfort (80) for undergarments
Better Alternatives
Higher-rated pants products — each card shows how much better this alt scores vs your current product.
Tradeoffs
Health Impact
Microplastic shedding · skin-contact synthetic load · likely chemical treatments
Low health impact — predominantly natural fibers with no major treatment flags.
Minimal
0% synthetic
No flags
What this score doesn't measure
- ×Fiber grade. Staple length, micronaire, strength. "100% cotton" could be short-staple upland or long-staple Pima — same label, very different fabric.
- ×Yarn processing. Singles count, ply (single vs two-ply), spinning method (open-end vs ring-spun vs compact), mercerization. Invisible from any label.
- ×Knit / weave structure. Single jersey vs interlock, knit tightness. A loose knit pills; a tight knit lasts.
- ×Fabric weight (GSM). One construction signal among several — and high GSM can come from loose cheap yarn just as easily as from fine tight yarn. We have it for blank manufacturers, rarely for retail.
- ×Pre-shrink processing. Sanforized cotton shrinks ~1%; non-sanforized can shrink up to 10%. Not visible from the composition tag.
- ×Construction quality. Stitch density (SPI), seam types, collar geometry, manufacturing tolerances (AQL). These often matter more than the fiber itself.
- ×Specific chemical loads. Health Impact flags "likely PFAS / possible formaldehyde" from composition × category — we don't lab-test individual SKUs.
We rate the fabric, not the garment. Composition is the floor of what you're guaranteed to be getting — most shoppers don't have that.
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