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The New Sea Food: Fashion, Waste, and Microplastics
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This paper explored the intersection of fast fashion, textile waste, and microplastic pollution, examining how synthetic fiber shedding during laundry has made fashion one of the major sources of ocean microplastics. It discussed policy and design interventions to reduce textile microplastic emissions.
Abstract: This article delves into the ecological and human impacts of microplastics originating from textile waste, examining their infiltration into marine ecosystems and the food chain—in particular fish caught in Southern waters and enjoyed on Southern tables. Through a futurist lens influenced by Lynn Margulis’s theories of symbiosis and evolution, Cullen’s essay explores how marine organisms adapt to synthetic fiber pollution and considers the potential for biomimicry and bioengineering as solutions. By highlighting the global repercussions of fast fashion, Cullen’s narrative opens space for a productive critique of waste colonialism, proposing a deeper ecological and cultural reflection on textile production, consumption, and identity. Insights from visits to Ghana’s Kantamanto Market and discussions with textile artist and engineer Emmanuel Aggrey of the Noldor Residency in Accra, Ghana, offer a call to reimagine sustainable practices in art, landscape and industry.
More Papers Like This
A review on microplastic emission from textile materials and its reduction techniques
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Researchers reviewed how synthetic textile fibers — tiny plastic threads released from clothes during washing, drying, and wearing — are a major source of microplastic pollution, entering waterways and food chains through seafood, salt, and drinking water. They identify fabric type, detergent, and washing conditions as key factors affecting fiber release, and propose textile finishing and regulatory strategies to reduce emissions.
The Impact of Fast Fashion on Marine Plastic Pollution
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This paper reviews the fast fashion industry's contribution to waterway pollution, explaining that cheap synthetic clothing sheds microplastic fibers during production and washing, and that the industry's rapid growth — especially in Asia — is making this a significant global pollution source. The authors propose manufacturing regulations and consumer behavior change as solutions to reduce the volume of synthetic microfibers entering waterways.
Microplastic pollution from textiles: A literature review
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This review examines the current state of knowledge on microplastic pollution, focusing specifically on synthetic microfibre shedding from textiles during washing and the significance of this source for marine and freshwater contamination.
Synthetic Textiles and Microplastics
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This review examines how synthetic textiles shed microfibers during washing and drying, covering the mechanisms of release, the environmental fate of microfibers in aquatic systems, and strategies for reducing microplastic pollution from the fashion and textile industry.
Role of Textile Industries in Microfiber Pollution
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This review examines the role of textile industries in generating microfiber pollution, tracing microfiber release during fabric production, consumer use, laundering, and end-of-life disposal as synthetic textile demand grows with fast fashion. The review documents pathways by which textile microfibers enter freshwater and marine environments and accumulate in aquatic biota, linking industry growth trends to escalating environmental microfiber loads.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.