Study highlights textile manufacturing as a major source of microfiber pollution

Earth Action with support from The Nature Conservancy including brands and retailers like Patagonia, Under Armour and Decathlon have conducted a study to study the microfiber pollution in the environment. The researchers describe it as the first system-level assessment focused specifically on microfiber emissions from textile manufacturing rather than textile use.

The authors said examining the manufacturing stage is important because a significant amount of fibre shedding occurs during production, an area that has received less attention than fibre release during a product’s use.

The study found that microfiber release is influenced by several factors throughout the manufacturing process. These include fibre and yarn structure, fabric construction, finishing treatments, mechanical processing, chemical use, quality control methods, and wastewater and sludge management practices.

The researchers also noted that synthetic, man-made and natural fibres can all contribute to environmental pollution depending on how they are processed and treated. According to the report, microfiber pollution is a system-wide issue rather than a problem linked to any single fibre type.

The report proposes a systems-based approach to reduce microfiber emissions. It recommends improvements across the entire textile value chain, including better product design, careful material selection, improved wastewater treatment and more effective sludge management. The researchers estimate that these combined measures could reduce microfiber emissions during textile production by as much as 95 percent.

One of the project partners, UK-based clean technology company Matter, contributed research on the behaviour, characteristics and concentration of microfibres. The company has developed Regen, a self-cleaning microfiltration system designed specifically to capture microplastic fibres at their source. The filter contains no disposable parts and can be scaled for use in homes as well as throughout industrial textile supply chains.