Microfibres

Fashion For Good and The Microfibre Consortium have launched a ‘Fibre Fragmentation Project’ which aims to offer a snapshot of the issue of fibre fragmentation through the lens of the textile and fashion industry, unpacking various aspects of this complex issue.

A newly established collaborative research hub in North East England will explore the extent and environmental impact of microfibre loss from textiles.

Scientists have developed a new fibre fragmentation scale which, if adopted by industry, could be displayed on clothing labels, similar to the way many food manufacturers display calorie information on packaging.

The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) has released a new report on efforts being made to address fibre fragmentation from textiles, also known as microfibre pollution, and showcases industry progress to address the issue even as it exhorts industry-wide engagement to address the multi-faceted challenge.

Researchers in the US have concluded that cellulosic microfibres from flushable wipes, tissue paper, and cotton fibres generated from bleached cotton jersey knit fabric biodegrade extensively across all tested conditions.

There is an urgent need to specify the fabric knitting and yarn spinning systems as fibre composition and the yarn spinning system could play a major role in reducing microfibre release, says a new research.

Scientists at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, better known by the shorter EMPA, have found that some of the supposed nanoplastics released during textile washing are not nanoplastics, but are actually clumps of water-insoluble oligomer molecules.

The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) along with specialist test instrument manufacturer James Heal conducted the first public demonstration of a test method for fibre fragmentation from fabric.

A new research shows that washing clothing by hand can shed just as many microfibres as laundry washed in a machine and resolving this pollution problem requires changes in how textiles are designed, manufactured and traded on a global scale.

The appliance industry, its trade associations and legislators should recognise that all types of tumble dryers can be significant contributors to the problem of environmental microfibre pollution and begin efforts to mitigate this issue through revised usage instructions and improved appliance design.