LLANIDLOES - Some 84 per cent of British consumers are not aware that viscose textile fibre for garments can be sourced from trees, according to a new survey by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) UK.
The poll of 2,000 adults also found that one in five consumers expected viscose to be sustainably sourced - even though 150 million trees are felled each year to create the fibre.
There was also a lack of awareness about other key materials used in the fashion industry, with 72 per cent unaware that rubber shoe soles were sourced from trees, although a quarter of respondents expected them to be sustainably sourced.