DÜBENDORF – Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materias Science and Technology (EMPA) say textile microfibres from synthetic fabrics account for more than one third of microplastics in the ocean, with tests highlighting that production details such as the fabric cutting technique can drastically affect the rate of emission.
“Adopting cleaner cutting techniques is important for the industry to help reduce MPF release,” the study says. “A prewash of tailored garments at the factory could effectively collect a large portion of the production-inherited microfibres”, up to 95 per cent of them in fact.
