What Is Acetate Material & How Sustainable Is It?

This one’s a doozy, folks…and true to our head-scratching deep-dives there’s no straight answer. For the short answer, though: acetate fabric or acetate material (or cellulose acetate) is kinda-sorta synthetic. For the science-minded, it’s a cellulosic process that turns plant matter into either acetate fabric (like synthetic silk) or a material similar to rigid plastic.

For the long answer, read on to find out if acetate is an ace-ceptable choice or a fashion faux pas or both.

Cellulose acetate is a chemical fiber textile, also known as acetate fabric. The cellulose comes from tree pulp and is blended with acetic acids and sulfur to create flakes. These flakes are then dissolved in solvents and passed through a spinneret to form filaments, becoming various cellulose acetate fabrics like acetate nylon fabric, acetate rayon, or acetate viscose.

As with any textile, there are pros and cons to acetate fabric. As for the former: it’s cheap, it hangs nicely on the body or the wall, there are endless color choices, it’s eye-catching, quick drying, low static, and resistant to pilling.

However, acetate fabrics’ disadvantages are many: cellulose acetate is weak, prone to ripping, it needs toxic stabilizers for strength, it wrinkles (a lot), and you have to hand-wash or dry clean it (time-saving and eco-friendly? Ah, hell no). In other words, cellulose acetate is far from being a sustainable fabric.

Acetate material is the baked version of acetate fabric. Manufacturing acetate material also uses tree pulp to create acetate flakes. The flakes get turned into a dyed goop, cut into pellet form, and baked into hardened cellulose acetate blocks which, instead of become fabrics, become things like phone cases and eyewear.

Worldwide manufacturers prefer acetate material to poly-plastics for several reasons:

• Acetate material is hypoallergenic and safe to wear indefinitely.
• It’s thermoplastic, meaning cellulose acetate can be efficiently heated, carved, injected, or stamped into stylish products like sunglasses.
• Plastic material is typically a single layer with spray-on colors and designs. Whereas cellulose acetate is exceptionally durable, made from layers of material that serve as a buffer.
• It can also be embellished to mimic elements in the natural world, including the gorgeous shells of the hawksbill sea turtle.

The sea turtle bit is huge because millions were slaughtered for their unique and beautiful shells, and the shells became man-made luxury items, including hairpieces and frames for glasses. It wasn’t until 1992 that hawksbill hunting was banned. But, by then, the species was already repopulating because, decades earlier, manufacturers discovered that the characteristics of acetate made for an ideal faux turtle shell.

Sustainability factors into some parts of the acetate manufacturing chain. For instance, Tennessee-based Eastman Chemical is a closed-loop manufacturer that dissolves certified-sustainable tree pulps into acetyl acid to produce acetate flakes.

But it gets far more complicated than eco-friendly flakes as the typical cellulose acetate manufacturing process continues.

While cellulose acetate itself has been deemed safe, manufacturing cellulose acetate is anything but, involving a whole whack of chemicals. Here’s what can lurk in the typical acetate processing cocktail:

• Acids: Acetic acid (i.e. vinegar), acetic anhydride, and sulfuric acid are all required to manufacture acetate. The acetic ingredients are not considered dangerous, but sulfuric acid can be serious trouble for factory workers exposed to it during manufacturing.
• Petroleum-based Chemicals: Almost half of the chemicals in acetate are derived from petroleum products morphed into plasticizers or UV stabilizers.
• Toxins: Acetate processing can include toxins like phthalates and compounds linked to cancers, asthma, and other hormone-disrupting conditions or neurological disorders.

Can You Recycle Acetate Material?

While companies like TerraCycle accept post-consumer plastic waste and direct it to appropriate recycling facilities, no recycling plant currently exists in the US to specifically handle consumer acetate waste.

There is a way around acetate recycling, but it’s a long road. You’ll have to look far and wide for green brands that accept your used acetates for recycling and remanufacturing.

Does Acetate Material Biodegrade?

Here’s another tricky issue which plenty of brands are conveniently (and incorrectly) painting as green.

In the early 1990s, published data touted cellulose acetate as biodegradable, with the “prediction” that it would degrade faster in a compostable acetate environment. But environmental regulations are becoming stricter, and current publications on the biodegradability of acetates indicate they won’t decompose independently. Some suggest that chemical additives like titanium dioxide would be the silver bullet to “increase degradation.” If that seems counterproductive to you, good, because it should.

Fortunately, that’s not the end of the road for acetate sustainability.

If you’re new to the term “bioplastic,” the day M49 got invented, this bioplastic scored an environmental victory by improving the cellulose acetate’s negative press. How so?

By resetting acetate materials’ biodegradability. M49 uses the catchphrase bioplastic, but it’s technically a cellulose bio-acetate material that’s nearly 70% plant-based and considered a biodegradable composition. The M49 bioplastic innovation shares similarities to cellulose acetate (natural cellulose polymers blended with acetic anhydride), however, the plasticizers in M49 aren’t petroleum.

This bioplastic uses a vegetable-based plasticizing solution. If that sounds like a V8 cocktail, most natural plasticizers derive from plant-based castor oil. According to the clinical research on veggie plasticizers, M49’s marketing play that bioplastic acetate is sustainable is eco-positive and performance wise, it’s even rated to be twice as hard a traditional callulose acetate—good news for those who are tough on their glasses.

BioAcetate S70 is another player in the bioplastics space. They bill themselves as a “circular economy product” using raw bio-materials and veggie plasticizers to create stronger acetate materials that can be recycled or undergo more sustainable “biodegradation”.

According to ISO 14855 (an international method specifying “ultimate aerobic biodegradability”), a bio-acetate must:

• Have a Sustainability Carbon Certification under the ISCC.
• Have a minimum of 62 % bio based ingredients.
• Be biodegradable per the acceptable ISO 14855 timeline.
• Be free of harmful plasticizers.
• Be biocompatible according to ISO 10993.

Not to be pessimistic, but bio acetates’ success and promised growth are bound to inspire counterfeits and imitators. To be sure that a product is a genuine bio acetate, look for manufacturer certifications, especially those relating to ISO 14855, and confirmation that the bio acetate is DEP (Diethyl Phthalate) free.

Bio-Acetate Uses & Applications

Currently, most bio-acetate materials go into injection-molded or manmade applications like frames for eyeglasses and sunglasses. But there are other applications being developed:

• Smartphone cases When you accidentally drop a smartphone, it may crack (can confirm). Smartphone accessory manufacturers are smartly jumping on the bio cellulose acetate bandwagon with eco-friendly phone cases.
• Household Items: Research shows that bio acetate production will increase in any household appliance containing rigid plastic parts.
• Hard-wearing Goods: Bioplastic manufacturers like I’m green™ are developing lightweight, flexible, and resistant materials for sporting goods, footwear, and toys. The specific biomaterial is ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).
• Medical Equipment: Bio-acetate could reduce plastic pollution of medical equipment like facemasks, gloves, gowns, shoe covers, and sanitizer bottles.

The notion of something biodegrading might seem basic. But the issue gets complicated because microorganisms have a hard time decomposing synthetics.

In essence, biodegrading defines the natural decomposition of materials under sunlight, microorganism activities, or other environmental conditions. Aynthetics like plastic must be 90% biodegraded naturally within six months to be considered ‘biodegradable’. Lab tests show that bio acetates like M49 decompose more than 90% naturally after 115 days, hence new biodegradable acetate materials are gaining an eco-footprint in the sustainability space.

It’s worth noting that bio-acetate is NOT biodegradable in a home compost setting. It does need high heat and optimal conditions achieved only in a commercial composting setting.

Beyond the environmentally friendly properties of bio acetate, manufacturers must comply with strict regulations in jurisdictions like the EU that protect workers health and safety.

Unfortunately, major eyewear brands run non-regulated factories in countries like China, and some Chinese factories may cut costs by using acetone (i.e. nail polish remover) during processing.

Ever caught a whiff from an acetone bottle? Now imagine inhaling that all day every day because those are the kinds of conditions that Chinese workers face resulting in numerous health hazards, including irritated eyes, nausea, and even heart disease.

While bio-acetate is being used in a variety of applications as noted earlier, we consumers for the most part will find them when it comes to eyewear. Sustainable sunglasses and eyewear companies have jumped on the bio cellulose acetate bandwagon bigtime (say that three times fast).

• Warby Parker: A leader in sustainable eyewear of all kinds, their frames are made of Italian plant cellulose acetate.
• Proof: In addition to some pretty unique recycled materials like skateboard decks, Proof also uses cotton-based acetate in their sunglasses.
• Woodzee: This eyewear brand also makes bio-acetate sunglasses using a combination of wood pulp and cotton waste.
• Swell Vision: They not only use acetate to accent their frames, but they also use TAC (triacetate cellulose) in the lenses.
• Ecotech Eyeglasses: These fun, statement-making designs are all thanks to bio-acetate made using plant-based plasticizers rather than harmful phthalates