Almost 13,000 tonnes of microfibers are dumped into European rivers, seas and oceans every year. This would be equivalent to dumping two garbage trucks a day into the waters. Remember that most of the clothing we wear is made of synthetic fibers, a source of microplastics that can end up in the sea. This is so because every time we wash clothes, tiny parts of the fabrics, known as microfibers, break off and end up in rivers, seas and oceans , polluting them.
A few years ago the plastic microspheres present, for example, in exfoliating products were banned due to the damage caused by their release into the aquatic environment. Well, there are scientists who point out that the microfibers in clothing may be more dangerous to the environment than the microspheres themselves .
A study carried out by the University of Northumbria (Newcastle) with the collaboration of Procter & Gamble, manufacturer of detergents such as Ariel, Tide, Downy and Lenor and which has recently been published in PLOS ONE , has revealed that, on average, 114 are released mg of microfibers per kilogram of fabric in each wash load during a standard wash cycle.
In 2103, a report by the International Association of Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products (AISE) suggested that 35.6 billion wash loads were completed each year in 23 European countries. Researchers point out that 12,709 tonnes of microfibers are released massively from washing machines into rivers, sea and ocean each year in Europe alone.
However, with a few small changes to our laundry habits, we could reduce the amount of waste by up to 30% . Researchers have succeeded in changing a wash cycle of 85 minutes at 40 degrees (considered typical home wash) for another of 30 minutes at 15 degrees. In conclusion, opting for cooler and faster wash cycles could potentially save 3 813 tonnes of microfibers that are released into Europe’s marine ecosystems.
And there are more measures that can help reduce water pollution by microfibers. One of them is the use of high-efficiency washers , which use up to 50% less water and energy per load. The study found that these machines released fewer microfibers than traditional top-load washers , with notable examples including a 70% reduction in microfibers from polyester fleece fabrics and a 37% reduction from polyester T-shirts.
Another measure to minimize environmental damage would be to put the washing machine full and is that with larger wash loads less microfibers were released , due to a lower proportion of water in the fabric. When we talk about filling the washing machine, we mean that the clothes should occupy three quarters of the machine , not less. It is also not recommended to charge it more.
Researchers have also found that new clothes release more microfibers than old ones , especially in the first eight washes. Regarding the use of softener, it has been found that it does not have a direct impact on the release of microfibers when tested in European and North American wash conditions.
The study, which involved forensic textile fiber expert Dr. Kelly Sheridan who has worked on several high-profile murder cases, found that 96% of the released fibers were natural, sourced from cotton, wool and viscose , while synthetic fibers such as nylon, polyester and acrylic accounted for only 4%.
The good thing about these results is that natural fibers of plant and animal origin biodegrade much more quickly than synthetic fibers . An earlier study found that cotton fibers degrade by 76% after nearly eight months in wastewater, compared to just 4% deterioration in polyester fibers. This means that natural fibers will continue to degrade over time, while petroleum-based microfibers stagnate and can remain in aquatic environments for a much longer period of time.
John R. Dean, Professor of Analytical and Environmental Sciences at Northumbria University who led the study, said: “This is the first large study to examine actual household laundry loads and the reality of fiber release. We were surprised not only by the large amount of fibers that come out of these household laundry loads, but also to see that the composition of the microfibers that come out of the washing machine does not match the composition of the clothes that enter the machine, due to the way in which fabrics are constructed ”.
For his part, Neil Lant, a researcher at Procter & Gamble, said that “this study has shown that consumers’ choices in the way they wash their clothes can have a significant and immediate impact on microfiber contamination. This will not eliminate the problem, but could achieve a significant reduction in the short term while other solutions are developed and commercialized as filters for washing machines and low shedding clothes.
Researchers encourage textile manufacturers to do a filtered prewash of clothing to remove fibers that come off more easily and can therefore end up in the water.
