Below you will find a summary of the most interesting & shocking facts related to fast fashion and plastic microfiber pollution from synthetic clothes. You will find more detailed information about the problem in our The Issue page.
Every time we wash our synthetic clothes, 9,000,000 plastic microfibers are released per laundry.
An average household generates about 20kg of dust a year, of which 6kg consist of microplastics.
Microfibers have been found in tap water as well as bottled water.
35% of primary microplastics in the ocean come solely from the laundry of synthetic textiles.
We ingest more plastic through household dust from textiles than through mussel consumption.
Know your clothes! Natural fabrics are made of animal or plant-based fibers, while synthetic yarn is man-made and produced from chemicals.
62% of our clothing consists of synthetic materials or a mix of natural & synthetic.
Blends like cotton & polyester release fewer microfibers than 100% polyester.
Wearing polyester clothes releases as many microplastic fibers in the air as through washing.
Microfibers also come from textiles such as carpets, curtains, blankets, and other household items.
Plastic fibers have been found in the sediment surrounding beaches, mangroves, in Arctic ice, at the top of the Himalayas, and in the deepest point of the ocean.
Plastic microfibers have been found in fish in markets, wild fish, farmed & wild mussels, chicken, sea salt and even beer and honey.
Because of friction, microfibers are released from synthetic textiles and end up in the air or in the water through washing.
We are breathing in microfibers, most probably at a rate of 11 microplastics per hour.
Synthetic material production has increased from 20% of the market to 60%; from 9,000,000 tons a year to 63,200,000 tons.
