Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Fibrous Fragments Generated during the Production and Maintenance of Textiles

This review examines how microplastics and fibrous fragments are generated during textile production and maintenance, noting that textiles account for more than a third of microplastics in surface waters. Researchers found that mechanical, thermal, chemical, and biological damage during manufacturing and early washing cycles are major sources of fiber release. The study emphasizes the need for textile manufacturers to address fiber shedding through improved production processes and material design.

2024 Fibers 12 citations
Article Tier 2

From production to pollution: a review of microfiber release mechanisms and mitigation strategies in the textile industry

This review examines the origins, pathways, and environmental impacts of microfiber pollution from the textile industry. Researchers found that microfibers are released during both textile manufacturing and garment use, and that solutions include biodegradable fiber development, washing machine filtration systems, and advanced wastewater treatment. The study emphasizes that collaboration among industry, governments, research institutions, and consumers is critical to reducing microfiber release.

2025 Journal of the Textile Institute 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of the current status of microfiber pollution research in textiles

This review synthesizes research on microfiber shedding from textiles, examining how fiber properties (length, diameter, twist, surface treatment) influence how much a fabric sheds during laundering. Microfibers from textile washing are one of the largest sources of microplastic fiber pollution in wastewater and aquatic environments globally.

2020 International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic emissions in textile wet processing: Progress, challenges, and mitigation strategies

This review examines how textile wet processing, including dyeing and finishing operations, contributes to microplastic emissions that are more substantial in volume and chemically diverse than those from domestic laundry. Researchers found that mechanical forces, water, and chemical treatments during industrial processing release significant quantities of synthetic microfibers into wastewater. The study explores mitigation strategies including bioengineered materials, improved textile design, surface coatings, and enhanced filtration technologies.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastic pollution from textiles: A literature review

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.

2018 Duo Research Archive (University of Oslo) 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental contamination by microplastics originating from textiles: Emission, transport, fate and toxicity

This review examines how synthetic textiles release fibrous microplastics into the environment through laundering, wear, and disposal. Researchers traced the journey of textile-derived microplastics from washing machines through wastewater treatment plants and into waterways, soils, and the atmosphere. The study highlights that textile fibers are among the most common types of microplastics found in the environment and calls for better mitigation strategies at every stage of the textile lifecycle.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Synthetic Textiles and Microplastics

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.

2024
Article Tier 2

A review on microplastic emission from textile materials and its reduction techniques

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.

2022 Polymer Degradation and Stability 291 citations
Article Tier 2

Microfibres from apparel and home textiles: Prospects for including microplastics in environmental sustainability assessment

This review examines how synthetic textiles release plastic microfibers during production, use, and laundering, making them a major source of microplastic pollution. Researchers found that textile microfibers may account for up to 35% of primary microplastics entering marine environments and can persist for decades in soils. The study discusses factors affecting fiber release from fabrics and calls for better assessment methods to understand the environmental and potential health risks of this widespread contamination.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 613 citations
Article Tier 2

Fibrous microplastics in the environment: Sources, occurrence, impacts, and mitigation strategies

This review provides a comprehensive look at fibrous microplastics, which can make up over 90 percent of microplastics found in some environmental samples. Researchers traced these fibers primarily to synthetic textiles, with laundering being a major release pathway, and documented their presence in water, soil, air, and living organisms. The study emphasizes that fiber-shaped microplastics deserve special attention due to their prevalence and unique potential to cause harm.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microfibres Release from Textile Industry Wastewater Effluents Are Underestimated: Mitigation Actions That Need to Be Prioritised

This review highlights that the release of tiny fibers from textile manufacturing wastewater is likely far greater than current estimates suggest, making it a major underrecognized source of microplastic pollution. Researchers found that existing wastewater treatment processes capture many fibers but still release significant quantities into the environment. The study calls for prioritizing better filtration technologies and upstream interventions in the textile industry to reduce fiber shedding.

2023 Fibers 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Synthetic fibers as microplastics in the marine environment: A review from textile perspective with a focus on domestic washings

This review examined synthetic fibers as a source of microplastics in the marine environment, tracing the full textile lifecycle from manufacturing through use and disposal to understand where and how fibers enter aquatic systems.

2017 The Science of The Total Environment 742 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Textile Industries in Microfiber Pollution

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.

2024
Article Tier 2

Textile recycling- A review

This review examines the growing global textile waste problem and technologies for recycling synthetic and natural fibers. Synthetic textile waste is a major source of microplastic pollution because fibers shed during washing and break down into microplastic fragments in landfills.

2021 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Fibras Têxteis Sintéticas E a Liberação De Microplásticos: Uma Revisão

This review synthesizes published research on the release of microplastic fibers from synthetic textiles during domestic laundering, examining the mechanisms, quantities, and environmental fate of fiber shedding into waterways and the resulting risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health.

2022 MIX Sustentável 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the ecological impact of textile microfibers: Current knowledge and research challenges

This review examines the ecological impact of textile microfibers, a major subset of microplastic pollution released during laundry and fabric wear. Researchers found significant knowledge gaps regarding how these fibers affect organisms and ecosystems, particularly when interacting with other environmental contaminants. The study calls for more standardized research methods and greater attention to this pervasive but understudied form of microplastic pollution.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the Flows of Microplastic Fibres in the Textile Lifecycle: A System Perspective

The lifecycle flows of microplastic fibers through the textile industry were mapped, identifying key stages from fiber production through washing and disposal where fibers are shed and enter the environment. This systems-level analysis supports targeted interventions to reduce fiber microplastic pollution at source.

2025 Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring Microplastic and Natural Fiber Emissions from Fabrics and Textiles

This review examines microplastic and natural fiber emissions released from fabrics and textiles during use and washing, identifying textiles as a major but underappreciated source of microplastic pollution in the environment. The authors assess emission factors and the downstream environmental and health implications of synthetic fiber shedding.

2024
Article Tier 2

Quantifying shedding of synthetic fibers from textiles; a source of microplastics released into the environment

Researchers quantified the shedding of synthetic fibers from textiles during simulated washing, finding that fabric type, age, and wash conditions significantly affected fiber release, and establishing a quantitative basis for estimating textile-derived microplastic inputs.

2017 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 590 citations
Article Tier 2

Microfibers from synthetic textiles as a major source of microplastics in the environment: A review

This review examines how synthetic textile garments release thousands of microplastic fibers during each wash cycle, making laundry a major source of microplastic pollution. Even though wastewater treatment plants capture most fibers, billions still escape into waterways each day because the incoming volume is so enormous. These fibers end up in rivers, oceans, and soil, where they can be consumed by aquatic life and eventually reach humans through the food chain.

2021 Textile Research Journal 347 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in aquatic environments from washing synthetic textiles

Washing synthetic textiles releases microplastic fibers into wastewater, and this study reviewed the scale of the problem and explored strategies to reduce emissions at the washing machine, garment design, and wastewater treatment levels. Textile laundering is considered one of the largest sources of microplastic fiber pollution reaching aquatic environments.

2021 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Fragmented fibre (including microplastic) pollution from textiles

This review examined fragmented fiber pollution from all textile types including natural, regenerated, and synthetic fabrics, finding that all textiles release fibers throughout their lifecycle from manufacturing to washing to disposal, and that natural fiber shedding has been underestimated relative to synthetic fibers in pollution assessments.

2021 Textile Progress 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Textile industry as a major source of microplastics in the environment

This review examines the textile industry as a major source of microplastic pollution, synthesizing data on recycling technologies and lifecycle assessments for synthetic textile fibers. It identifies barriers to progress — including fiber lamination with metals, rapidly changing fiber types, and low recycling efficiency — and argues that only a globally coordinated reduction in synthetic fiber production will meaningfully curb microplastic release. The textile sector is one of the largest contributors of microfibers to aquatic environments, making systemic change in this industry critical.

2023 Global Journal of Ecology 9 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Emission of fibres from textiles: A critical and systematic review of mechanisms of release during machine washing

This systematic review examines how washing clothes in machines releases microfibers, both natural and plastic, into wastewater. Understanding the factors that drive fiber release during laundry is important because these microfibers are a major source of microplastic pollution in waterways and oceans, and they ultimately enter our food and water supply.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 10 citations