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 39/100 on the 7-axis material rubric, based on its composition of 60% Cotton, 40% Recycled Fiber.
F (<40): Low-rated material composition — consider alternatives.
Low quality — skip if you can
This scores poorly across the board. It likely won't last, may not be comfortable, and has significant environmental impact. Your money goes further with better materials.
Breakdown
Cotton biodegrades in 1-5 months. When you're done with this, it returns to the earth — not the ocean.
Cotton absorbs moisture but doesn't wick it. Great for a hot day, terrible for hiking — you'll stay wet.
The fashion industry produces 10% of global carbon emissions — more than aviation and shipping combined.
Network
Cost per wear
rough estimateStrong cost-per-wear
How we got there
Base for T-Shirts: 80 expected wears.
× 0.70 for Cotton (low-durability fiber, durability 36).
= 56 expected wears. $27 ÷ 56 ≈ 48¢/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
Better Alternatives
Higher-rated t-shirts products — each card shows how much better this alt scores vs your current product.
Banana Republic
Merino Waffle-Knit Sweater Polo
100% Merino Wool
Mate the Label
Tencel Sleep Oversized Tee
70% Tencel, 30% Organic Cotton
Mate the Label
Tencel Sleep Oversized Tee
70% Tencel, 30% Organic Cotton
Lululemon
Love Tank Top
94% Pima Cotton, 6% Elastane
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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