The pollution of microfibres into the environment

The subject of microfibre release into the environment is being closely studied by one of our R&D teams, specialists in plastic pollution.

What are microfibres?

Microfibres are textile fibres that can be:

• Natural (plant-based such as cotton, animal-based such as wool)
• Artificial (e.g. viscose)
• Synthetic (with plastic microfibres such as polyester or polyamide)

All of these microfibres have an impact on ecosystems, whether marine, freshwater or terrestrial (read our article here on the environmental impact of mismanaged plastic waste).

What is the main source of release?

Microfibre leaks occur throughout the life cycle of a textile product. We often think of the end of life, the used textile, when in fact the main source of release is upstream: new textiles release more microfibres than textiles that have been washed several times (both for individuals and in production).

Overconsumption of new clothes therefore increases the consumer's impact on the product usage phase via the first washes, which are highly emissive of microfibres.

To limit the impact of microfibres released during washing, it would be ideal to:

• Encourage manufacturers to integrate a device to capture microfibres released during production of the product, before it is marketed
• Avoid using synthetic fabrics and prioritise natural materials that degrade more quickly (research is underway to measure the impact of natural microfibres)
• Wash them at low temperatures and low spin speeds

Note: new washing machines will have to be equipped with a microfibre filter from 2025.

Did you know?

• Textiles are the third largest user of plastic (14.2%), after packaging and construction*. Polyester accounts for 70% of the synthetic fibre market.
• The impact of microfibres is now taken into account in French textile environmental labelling, and soon in European labelling**. The addition of this impact could change conclusions in the context of a life cycle analysis (LCA) of a textile product (see chart below).

At EVEA, we are able to evaluate and support you in reducing the environmental impact caused by the release of microfibres from your textile products. To do this, we use specific tools and methods that go beyond the classic LCA analysis, which does not take this particular impact into account.
 

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Sources :

* Dumoulin, V., Saint-Germain, S. (2024). La pollution par les micro-plastiques d'origine textile. Inspection Générale de l'Environnement et de Développement Durable (IGEDD)

** Sources : Ecobalyse et PEFApparelFootwear