Every time we wash our clothes, something unseen happens: microscopic fibers are released from textiles and flushed into wastewater systems. These particles, commonly referred to as microfibers or microplastics, originate primarily from synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic. Even natural fibers like cotton and wool shed, but synthetic fibers persist in the environment far longer.
Scientific studies show that a single laundry cycle can release thousands to millions of microfibers per kilogram of fabric, depending on the material, fabric construction, and washing conditions. Research published in PLOS ONE demonstrated that some commonly used synthetic garments shed particularly high numbers of fibers during domestic washing, making laundry one of the most significant pathways for microfiber pollution.
These fibers do not simply disappear. While wastewater treatment plants can capture a portion of them, a significant amount still reaches rivers, lakes, and marine environments, where they contribute to the growing global burden of microplastics. Recent reviews identify domestic textile washing as one of the major contributors to primary microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.
Importantly, this issue is not only about consumer behavior or washing machines. It is deeply connected to how textiles are designed in the first place, including fiber choice, yarn quality, fabric structure, and surface treatments. Studies consistently show that material selection and product design strongly influence how much a garment sheds over its lifetime.
This means solutions exist at multiple levels. Designing textiles for durability and circularity, setting clearer product requirements, and choosing materials with lower shedding potential can significantly reduce microfiber release before garments ever reach the washing machine. Combined with improved filtration technologies and smarter washing practices, these upstream decisions are critical to addressing microfiber pollution at scale.
Reducing microplastics from textiles is not about a single fix—it is about rethinking materials, design, and systems to prevent pollution at the source.
Sources & further reading
- Vassilenko et al. (2021) – Domestic laundry and microfiber pollution: Exploring fiber shedding from consumer apparel textiles, PLOS ONE.
- Science of the Total Environment (2024) – Global microplastic fiber pollution from domestic laundry (review article).
- Springer Environmental Science (2024) – Functional clothing as an overlooked source of microplastic fibers.
