Innovations to combat ‘microfiber’ pollution

Innovations to combat ‘microfiber’ pollution

Context:

Innovators are coming up with solutions to combat microfiber pollution

What is microfiber pollution?

• Once clothes reach a washing machine, the synthetic fabrics release tiny strands: so-called microfibers.
• Hundreds of thousands of microfibers are flushed down the drain.
• Many reach beaches and oceans where they can remain for hundreds of years.

Source of Microfibers:

• Microfibers found in oceans can originate from a wide variety of textiles (such as nylon, polyester, rayon, acrylic or spandex)
• Apparel products are not the only source of microplastic particles that are entering the oceans.
• Other industries are also contributing to this problem, as are things like fishing nets, bottle caps, packaging and plastics bags that break down in the ocean.

Extent of Microfiber Pollution on Coastal Ecosystem

• A 2011 study, led by Australian ecotoxicologist Mark Browne, found that microfibres made up 85% of man-caused shoreline debris.
• The UN has identified microfibre pollution as a key outgrowth of the 300 million tons of plastic produced annually
• A 2016 study in the Environmental Science & Technology found that more than a gram of microfibres is released every time synthetic jackets are washed and that as much as 40% of those microfibres eventually enter waterways.
• According to a new IUCN report, between 15% to 31% of marine plastic pollution could be from tiny particles released by household and industrial products, rather than larger plastic items that degrade once they reach the sea.
• The IUCN calculates that 35% of this microplastic pollution comes from washing synthetic textiles.
• Europe and Central Asia alone dump the equivalent of 54 plastic bags worth of microplastics per person per week into the oceans.
• Microfibers eventually pass through sewage plants, wash out to waterways, and can be eaten or absorbed by marine animals, some of which are later served as seafood.

Innovations to Combat Microfiber Pollution:

• There are few products, with names such as Guppyfriend and Cora Ball, aimed at curbing microfibres.
• Guppyfriend is a polyamide washing bag designed to prevent tiny threads from escaping.
• Cora Ball is a multicolored ball designed to bounce around the washing machine, trapping microfibres in appendages that resemble coral.
• Lint LUV-Ris a filter that attaches to a laundry water discharge hose.