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The impact of activewear/swimwear laundering: Investigating microplastic-fibre emissions from recycled and non-recycled synthetic textiles
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This study measured microplastic fiber emissions from four activewear and swimwear fabrics — including a recycled nylon blend — washed 15 times each, finding no significant difference in fiber release between recycled and non-recycled fabrics. Australia's total laundry microfiber burden was estimated to be equivalent to 7,500 plastic bags entering marine environments every week.
Microplastic pollution in oceans is widely documented, with strong links to synthetic textiles and laundry wastewater. This study focussed on the growing activewear/swimwear sector, which utilises textiles including recycled fabrics that are yet to be studied for microplastic-fibre emissions. Four knit fabrics used in activewear/swimwear (two nylon/elastane blends, a recycled nylon/elastane blend, and one 100%-polyester fabric) were washed a total of fifteen times in a front-loading washing machine (three replicates). Microplastic-fibre emissions were captured in the laundry wastewater for washes 1-5 and washes 11-15 for each fabric type. There was no significant difference in microfibre emissions among the fabrics. On average, the fabrics released 0.0035 % weight per weight (% w/w; i.e., 0.0035 g microfibres per 100 g of fabric) microplastic fibres per wash, which is comparable with previous studies of polyester knit and woven fleece textiles. The laundry microfibre burden from Australia was modelled and conservatively calculated to be equivalent to 7500 plastic grocery bags entering marine environments weekly. It was found that lifecycle applications and care of apparel made from these fabric types might result in a significant microplastic-fibre burden. It is imperative that the textile and apparel industry includes in their sustainability and research agendas full investigation of the environmental burden of their product life cycle and solutions to reduce microplastic-fibre emissions.
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Researchers assessed microplastic fiber release from polyester and polyamide fabrics during simulated washing, finding that fabric construction, fiber type, and washing conditions all influenced the quantity of fibers released. The study provides data to help quantify the contribution of laundry to microplastic emissions in wastewater.
The contribution of washing processes of synthetic clothes to microplastic pollution
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Real-scale wash trials of synthetic commercial garments measured microfiber release per wash, finding that release varied significantly with textile type, structure, and age, with some items releasing over 700,000 fibers per wash. The study quantifies the contribution of synthetic textile washing to microplastic pollution and identifies fiber characteristics that govern release rates.
Do Recycled Cotton or Polyester Fibers Influence the Shedding Propensity of Fabrics during Laundering?
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Lab laundering experiments tested whether fabrics made with recycled cotton or polyester shed more or fewer fibers than conventional fabrics during washing. Results showed no significant difference in shedding related to recycled fiber content, suggesting that recycled textiles do not increase microplastic fiber pollution compared to virgin-fiber equivalents.
Quantification of different microplastic fibres discharged from textiles in machine wash and tumble drying
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Researchers quantified synthetic microplastic fibre emissions from five sequential machine washes and tumble dryings of synthetic fabrics, finding that fibre release decreased with successive washes and that two commercial in-machine fibre traps varied substantially in their collection efficiency, with implications for reducing domestic microplastic emissions.
Release of synthetic microplastic plastic fibres from domestic washing machines: Effects of fabric type and washing conditions
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Researchers measured synthetic microfiber release from domestic washing machines in real household conditions, finding that millions of fibers are shed per wash cycle, with fiber release influenced by fabric type and wash parameters.
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