Papers

20 results
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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

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

A critical review on environmental pollution caused by the textile industry

This review examines how the textile industry contributes to environmental pollution, including the release of microplastics from synthetic fibers during washing. The study highlights that non-biodegradable materials like polyester, nylon, and acrylic shed microplastic fibers that enter water systems, potentially harming marine organisms and entering the human food chain.

2025 Explora Environment and Resource 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Critical Review on Environmental Pollution Causes by Textile Industry

This review covers environmental pollution caused by the textile industry, including air, water, and soil contamination from synthetic fiber production and dyeing processes, touching on microplastic shedding from synthetic fabrics as one of several pollution pathways. While relevant to microplastics as a contributing industry, the paper is a broad environmental overview rather than a focused microplastics study.

2024 Preprints.org 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental Degradation due to Synthetic Fibres

This review chapter examines how synthetic textile fibres—nylon, polyester, rayon, and acrylic—contribute to microplastic pollution through their entire lifecycle, from manufacturing to washing. Because these fibres shed millions of microfibre particles into waterways with every laundry cycle and persist indefinitely in the environment, the global textile industry is identified as a major, ongoing source of plastic contamination.

2026
Article Tier 2

Fibrous Microplastics Release from Textile Production Phases: A Brief Review of Current Challenges and Applied Research Directions

This review examines how microplastic fibers are shed during various stages of textile production, from spinning and weaving to dyeing and finishing. Researchers found that fibrous microplastics account for roughly half to 70% of all microplastics found in global wastewater, primarily originating from synthetic fabric manufacturing and household laundering. The study identifies gaps in current knowledge and explores recycling technologies and regulatory approaches that could help reduce textile microplastic pollution.

2025 Materials 15 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

Micro- and Nanoplastics Produced from Textile Finishes: A Review

This review examines how textile finishes and coatings contribute to micro- and nanoplastic pollution during washing and wear. Researchers found that polymeric-based finishes applied to textiles can release significant quantities of plastic particles, identifying the textile industry as an underexplored but important source of environmental microplastic contamination.

2024 Langmuir 12 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 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
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

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

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
Article Tier 2

Occupational Risks of Microplastics in Textile Manufacturing: Health Impacts and Mitigation Strategies

This review examined occupational exposure to microplastics among workers in the textile manufacturing sector, where synthetic fibers are released during production, drying, and sewing processes. Researchers found that textile workers face elevated risks of inhaling polyester and polypropylene microfibers that can affect respiratory health. The study calls for improved workplace ventilation, protective equipment, and regulatory standards to reduce microplastic exposure in this industry.

2025 Advances in Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental Impact of Textile Materials: Challenges in Fiber–Dye Chemistry and Implication of Microbial Biodegradation

This review examines how the textile industry contributes to environmental pollution through both chemical dye waste and microplastic fiber release. Synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon shed non-biodegradable microfibers during manufacturing and washing, while the dyeing process generates contaminated wastewater. The paper highlights microbial biodegradation as a promising and cost-effective approach to breaking down both textile waste and the microplastics it produces.

2025 Polymers 33 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

Sustainability Initiatives in the Fashion Industry

This paper examines sustainability efforts in the fashion industry, where synthetic textiles are a major source of microplastic fiber pollution during washing. It reviews industry initiatives and consumer behavior changes aimed at reducing environmental impacts, including microfiber shedding.

2019 IntechOpen eBooks 14 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

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

Fibrous microplastics released from textiles: Occurrence, fate, and remediation strategies

This review focuses on fibrous microplastics released from synthetic textiles like polyester, which are the most common type of microplastic found in the environment. These fibers are shed during washing and wearing, are too small for most wastewater filters to catch, and persist in ecosystems for long periods. The review warns that data on the long-term health effects of fibrous microplastic exposure in humans is still very limited.

2023 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 81 citations