PlastfriElastane (Spandex)
Petro-synthetic
High plastic. The stretch in your stretch. Polyurethane-based, in nearly everything fitted.
What elastane is
Elastane (EU), spandex (US), and Lycra (brand) are one fiber: a segmented polyurethane that stretches 5–8× and snaps back. It rarely appears alone — it hides as 2–10% of “cotton” tees, jeans, socks, and nearly everything fitted.
That small share is decisive at end-of-life: even a few percent of elastane keeps a garment out of cotton recycling and composting, and heat steadily degrades the fiber until waistbands crumble.
How Plastfri scores it
Elastane scores 100/100. “95% cotton, 5% elastane” scores 5/100 — low, but not zero, and the breakdown always shows the elastane rather than rounding it away.
The same weight applies everywhere: a product's score is the percentage-weighted plastic share of its listed fiber composition, and every weight is public.
Scored products containing elastane
- R-Collection Olli T-Shirt5/100
- Baserange Omato 3/4 Tee Shirt9/100
- Baserange Heart Tee Shirt9/100
- VIM & VIGR Solid Black (Merino Wool) Compression Socks60/100
- Montane Men's Tenacity Softshell Pants100/100
- Odlo Ascent Light Zip-Off Hiking Pants100/100
- Montane Mens Volantis Softshell Pants100/100
- Uvex Unilite Thermo Plus Safety Glove (est.)~75/100
Scores marked ~ rest on incomplete material evidence; (est.) rows were estimated from product text rather than a listed composition. Browse the full database →
Keep reading
Plastfri spots elastane for you. Scores every product while you shop — covers, dims, or labels the high-plastic ones.
Score a product — free