Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Sustainable Textile Innovation: Biodegradable Fabrics and Their Role in Climate Action

This review argues that synthetic textile fibers are a major source of microplastic pollution and that a shift to biodegradable fabrics represents both an environmental necessity and an opportunity to fundamentally redesign how clothing is produced and consumed.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Fashion

This review of sustainable fashion examines how the textile industry's shift to fast fashion has accelerated environmental damage, including the shedding of synthetic microfibres — a major source of microplastic pollution in waterways — and argues that circular production models and consumer behaviour change are needed to reduce the industry's footprint. The paper is relevant because textile microfibres are among the most commonly detected microplastics in marine and freshwater environments.

2026 International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology
Article Tier 2

Innovations and Challenges in Biodegradable Textile Materials: A Review of PLA, PHA and Natural Fibers in Sustainable Fashion

This review examines biodegradable textile alternatives, including polylactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and natural fibers like hemp and bamboo, that could reduce microplastic pollution from the fashion industry. While these materials offer environmental advantages, challenges remain around high production costs, performance limitations, and lack of recycling infrastructure. The authors highlight innovations in biopolymer blends and eco-friendly dyeing that could accelerate adoption of textiles that do not shed persistent microplastic fibers.

2025 International Journal of Textile Science 6 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

Sustainable trimmings for clothing

This review examines sustainable, biodegradable materials as alternatives to synthetic plastic trimmings in clothing, motivated by concerns about microplastic fiber pollution from textiles. The fashion industry is a significant source of microplastic pollution, particularly through washing of synthetic fabrics.

2023 Journal of Textile Engineering & Fashion Technology
Article Tier 2

Analyzing Sustainability in Fashion Through Bio-Synthetic Materials

This review analyzes sustainability in the fashion industry through the lens of bio-synthetic materials, examining how synthetic biology and bioengineering can transform microbes into 'living factories' that produce sustainable textiles as alternatives to conventional synthetic fibers that contribute to microplastic pollution.

2025 Fashion Highlight
Article Tier 2

Biomaterial Experimental Design Practices as an Strategy for Sustainable Fashion

This paper explores biomaterial design — including alternatives to synthetic polyester fibers — to drive sustainability innovation in the fashion industry. Reducing reliance on synthetic textiles like polyester could help decrease microplastic fiber pollution released during washing.

2022 MIX Sustentável 5 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

Research on Recycling Design of Clothing Textiles Based on Sustainable Development

This review examines sustainable design strategies for recycling and reusing clothing and textiles, covering the full lifecycle from design to end-of-life disposal. Textile recycling is relevant to microplastic pollution because synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon shed microplastic fibers during washing.

2023 The Frontiers of Society Science and Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of biotextiles as a sustainable alternative in the Spanish fashion industry

This study examines biotextiles as a sustainable alternative to conventional synthetic fabrics in the Spanish fashion industry, reviewing their potential to reduce microplastic shedding and contribute to circular economy goals. The authors analyzed EU regulations and Spanish Law 7/2022 alongside scientific literature to assess the feasibility of transitioning toward biologically derived textile materials.

2024 Digital Repository (Polytechnic University of Cartagena)
Article Tier 2

Towards Sustainable Textiles for a Safer Planet: Main Topics

This review critically examines sustainability claims in the textile industry, arguing that despite advances in fiber development and recycling, true sustainability requires addressing microplastic shedding, energy use, and resource depletion throughout the full textile lifecycle. The authors distinguish between genuine sustainability and greenwashing.

2024 Sustainability 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Manufacturing Practices in the Apparel Industry: Integrating Eco-Friendly Materials and Processes

This review examined sustainable manufacturing practices in the apparel industry, covering eco-friendly materials, waterless dyeing, renewable energy adoption, and circular economy principles. The authors found that integrating these approaches throughout the production lifecycle can substantially reduce the industry's environmental footprint, including microplastic shedding from synthetic textiles.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microbial nanocellulose biotextiles for a circular materials economy

Researchers developed sustainable biotextiles from microbial nanocellulose combined with ancient textile techniques, creating rapidly renewable, low-toxicity, and biodegradable materials as circular economy alternatives to synthetic plastic-based fabrics.

2022 Environmental Science Advances 26 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

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
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microencapsulation for Functional Textile Coatings with Emphasis on Biodegradability—A Systematic Review

This systematic review found that microencapsulation techniques for functional textile coatings are well-established for conventional shell materials, but biodegradable alternatives remain limited and often sacrifice durability. The review identified that most microcapsule shell materials are synthetic polymers that can contribute to microplastic pollution when they degrade from textile surfaces during washing. Developing truly biodegradable microcapsule formulations is essential for reducing the microplastic fiber shedding that makes textiles one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution.

2021 Coatings 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Sürdürülebilir Yaklaşımlara Bir Örnek Olarak Biyobozunur Özellik Kazandırılmış Polyester İpliklerle Çevre Dostu Perde Kumaşlarının Geliştirilmesi

This Turkish-language textile study describes the development of biodegradable polyester curtain fabrics as a sustainable alternative to conventional synthetic textiles. Developing textiles that biodegrade rather than releasing persistent synthetic microfibers is directly relevant to reducing microplastic pollution from laundry.

2023 Orclever Proceedings of Research and Development
Article Tier 2

Strategies and progress in synthetic textile fiber biodegradability

This review presented a multidisciplinary perspective on strategies for improving synthetic textile fiber biodegradability, examining how insights from natural fiber degradation mechanisms are inspiring new approaches to address textile waste accumulation from dominant synthetic fibers like PET.

2021 SN Applied Sciences 150 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards the Sustainability of the Plastic Industry through Biopolymers: Properties and Potential Applications to the Textiles World

This review explored the potential of biopolymers as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics in the textile industry, covering applications in spinning, dyeing, and finishing processes to reduce microplastic pollution from synthetic textiles.

2022 Polymers 117 citations
Review Tier 2

Synthetic textile and microfiber pollution: a review on mitigation strategies

This review examines strategies to mitigate synthetic textile microfiber pollution, covering filtration technologies, fiber-shedding-reducing fabric designs, wastewater treatment upgrades, and policy measures.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 96 citations
Article Tier 2

19 A Sustainable Business Model for the Fashion Sector

This book chapter reviews sustainable fashion business models that aim to reduce the fashion industry's environmental impact, including microplastic fiber pollution from synthetic clothing. Transitioning to more sustainable fashion production and material choices could significantly reduce the microfibers shed into wastewater during textile washing.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Innovation in Circular Textiles: Recycled, Recyclable & Biodegradable Polyester

CiCLO® technology was presented as a circular textile innovation enabling recycled polyester to remain durable during use, biodegrade when it enters the environment as microplastics, and remain recyclable. The technology targets polyester, the world's most-used textile fiber, to reduce the persistent microplastic pollution generated by synthetic fabric.

2025
Article Tier 2

Recycling and valorization of textile waste

This review examines the textile industry's contribution to environmental pollution, focusing on synthetic fiber waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and microplastic release driven by fast fashion and overconsumption. It surveys EU regulatory efforts and circular economy strategies aimed at improving textile recycling and reducing the environmental footprint of synthetic materials.

2025 Serbian Journal of Engineering Management
Article Tier 2

Fostering Sustainable Fashion Innovation: Insights from Ideation Tool Development and Co-Creation Workshops

This paper explores design tools and co-creation workshops for generating sustainable fashion product innovations to reduce the fashion industry's environmental footprint. Sustainable fashion development is relevant to microplastic pollution because synthetic textile washing is a major source of microfiber release into waterways.

2023 Sustainability 1 citations