Microplastics
Penalty 25/100 - weighted impact 11.3
Viscose is recorded as Regenerated Cellulose Fiber and tied to no listed microplastic polymer, which drives the material's microplastics score pressure.
Regenerated Cellulose Fiber
Viscose clothing: health and sustainability score
Made from wood pulp but with more chemical-intensive processing than Tencel. Biodegradable and soft, though conventional production can involve harmful chemicals and deforestation concerns.
Score drivers
Greener Closet scores materials from several penalty inputs. The same material can be reasonable in one product and weak in another, but these are the default drivers behind the base material record.
Low concern
PFAS uncertainty
Penalty 0/100 - weighted impact 0
MaterialsDB does not apply a base PFAS penalty to Viscose. Product-level water, stain, or performance finishes can still change PFAS risk.
Half-life and biodegradability
Penalty 0/100 - weighted impact 0
Viscose has no persistence penalty in MaterialsDB, which generally reflects better biodegradability than petroleum-based synthetics.
Fiber shedding
Penalty 0/100 - weighted impact 0
Viscose has no default microfiber-shedding penalty in MaterialsDB. Garment construction and laundering still matter.
Manufacturing energy
Penalty 70/100 - weighted impact 7
Viscose carries a manufacturing-energy penalty, so production impacts remain part of the score even when microplastic risk is low.
Safer alternatives to consider
Best next step
Paste the full fabric label into the homepage checker. A 95% cotton, 5% elastane garment will not score the same as 100% cotton, and the checker handles those percentages.
Use the material-label checkerRelated scored products
91 visible scored products include Viscose.
AE Strigid Mom Jean
Brand: American Eagle
90/100
Women'sPants
Lightweight Cotton Cashmere Link-Stitch Dolman Sweater
Brand: Quince
89/100
Women'sSweaters
Aerie At The Barre Midi Dress
Brand: Aerie
87/100
Women'sDresses
Evolution Wrap
Brand: Moby
84/100
BabyBabywearing
NECKHOLDER SLIPDRESS SICAYA SEA SPRAY
Brand: JAN 'N JUNE
81/100
Women'sDresses
Emerick Dress
Brand: Reformation
81/100
Women'sDresses
Tie-belt Shirt Dress
Brand: H&M
81/100
Women'sDresses
The Tilda Mini Slip Skirt
Brand: Anthropologie
81/100
Women'sSkirts
Common questions
Does Viscose clothing shed microplastics?
Viscose has no listed microplastic polymer in MaterialsDB, though garment construction and washing still affect fiber release.
Is Viscose biodegradable?
Viscose has no half-life penalty in MaterialsDB, which is a better biodegradability signal than petroleum-based synthetics.
How should I check a Viscose blend?
Use the Greener Closet material-label checker with the full percentage label, because blends can change the final score even when Viscose is only one part of the garment.