synthetic materials
Unlike cotton or wood which grow in nature, this is the definition of a synthetic material
what is a man made material
This term describes resources like plants, wind, and solar energy that can naturally replenish themselves over a short period of time
What are renewable resources? or natural resources
This type of change alters the look or state of a material (like melting ice or tearing paper) without creating a brand-new substance.
What is a physical change?
This type of massive, crowded area is where most discarded synthetic clothing and plastic trash ends up sitting for hundreds of years.
what is a landfill?
This is the specific petroleum-based synthetic material used to make lightweight fleece jackets, plastic water bottles, and fast-fashion clothing
what is polyester or nylon?
This natural plant fiber is the most widely used organic material in the world to make clothing, towels, and denim jeans.
what is cotton?
This type of change happens when substances interact to form entirely new materials with different properties (like rusting iron or baking a cake).
What is a chemical change?
Because synthetic materials are made from petroleum, producing them releases large amounts of this greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, trapping heat and fueling climate change.
what is co2
This fossil fuel is the primary raw material used by factories to create synthetic plastics, nylon, and polyester
what is crude oil?
Because fossil fuels take millions of years to form from ancient decayed organic matter, they fall under this resource category.
What are non-renewable resources?
This term describes the starting ingredients that you mix together at the beginning of a chemical reaction.
What are reactants?
This is the primary way synthetic litter from towns and cities travels into the ocean, usually carried by the wind or washed down storm drains by rainwater.
what is rivers?
This term describes a material, like nylon, that cannot be broken down naturally by bacteria or living organisms, causing it to sit in landfills for centuries
What is non-biodegradable
This type of pollution happens when rainwater washes toxic chemical pesticides used on natural crops into nearby rivers and lakes.
what is water pollution?
This is the scientific term for the final material or substance that is created at the end of a chemical reaction.
What is a product?
When synthetic clothes like polyester fleece are washed, they shed thousands of these tiny plastic threads that bypass water filters and pollute local rivers.
what is microfibers?
Because synthetic materials are non-biodegradable, they don't break down naturally; instead, they break apart over hundreds of years into these microscopic plastic particles that pollute the ocean
what is microplastic?
Unlike synthetic plastics, natural fibers like wool and hemp can be broken down by bacteria and safely absorbed back into the Earth, giving them this property.
what is biodegradable?
To create synthetic materials like nylon or plastic, factories use chemical reactions to turn liquid chemicals into this state of matter so they can be woven into fabric.
What is a solid?
This specific phrase describes the total environmental impact of a product from the moment its raw materials are drilled out of the ground until it is thrown away.
what is a products lifecycle?