PLYMOUTH – A team of researchers at the University of Plymouth has tested the efficacy of six washing machine filters in reducing the emission of textile microfibres during laundering.
All six filters were proven effective in improving levels of wastewater contamination, with the rate of release lessened by between 21 and 78 per cent dependent on the device.
“Too often, the quest for fast fashion and market pressures means that appropriate environmental considerations are being sacrificed,” said professor Richard Thompson OBS, head of the university’s International Marine Litter Research Unit. “Some of the devices we tested can undoubtedly reduce the fibres generated through the laundry process, but perhaps the most overarching change would be to design garments to last longer and shed less fibres in the first place.”
