Microfibres

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.

The prefix ‘bio’ used in the countless new-fangled textile fibres could be misleading and not necessarily biodegradable, surmises a new study that outlines clearly that only natural, cellulose-based fibres in any blend degrades, while the oil-based portion remains intact.

Carpets can double the number of microplastics fibres at home and there is an urgent need to make consumers aware of the possible health impacts and bring about microplastic reduction policies in the carpet industry.

A field research study has found that microfibres are ravaging the coastlines in the East African countries of Kenya and Tanzania. It also found that most of the microfibres came from natural fibres.

The call to reduce shedding of microfibres got stronger as A Plastic Planet, a pro-business, pro-solutions organisation, exhorts policymakers to mandate filters in new washing machines as the only effective, near-term solution to reduce the release of microplastics in the environment.

The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) has tapped into high frequency ultrasound to remove polluting microplastics from textile-apparel manufacturing facilities, preventing them from going into the sea and further damaging marine life.