Yoga pants might be really comfortable, but they're hurting the environment.
Researchers say comfy clothes like yoga pants, fleece jackets, and sweat-wicking athletic items are made from synthetic materials that shed microscopic plastic fibers called "microfibers" when they're laundered.
The wastwater system eventually flushes these microfibers into natural waterways, which eventually reach the ocean. Other recent studies have shown that microfibers can end up in the stomachs of marine animals, including seafood, like oysters.
Experts increasingly suggest that manufacturers of washing machines may need to be targeted next in efforts to reduce plastic waste in the oceans.