Fast Fashion is the term used by retailers for fashion trends that move quickly from the runway, to the store, to the consumer, then to the trash in less than a year. Now, scientists from the U.K. are using London Fashion Week as a platform to highlight the less commonly known source of marine pollution: microplastics from the fibers of clothing.
The plastic fibers that come off the clothing are known as ‘microfibers.’ These bits are less than five mm. in length and are frequently found in fast Fashion, along with fabrics such as acrylic and polyester. “Well, it can be quite surprising to know that a majority of the clothes that we wear and that we buy are made out of plastic,” commented Imogen Napper, a researcher at the University of Plymouth.
The researchers investigated what happens when different textiles are washed and they measured their breakdown and release into water systems. They found that for only one clothes wash, up to 700,000 fibers could come off your clothes and potentially travel to the sea.
According to the UN, the fashion industry contributes about 10% of carbon emissions and 20% of wastewater worldwide. Ocean Wise, a marine conservation organization, estimated in October 2019, that U.S. and Canadian households release over 870 tons of plastic microfibers into the ocean every year from laundry alone. Eight hundred seventy tons is the equivalent weight of ten massive blue whales, which is the largest species of whale that exists.
Furthermore, research has found that microfibers are accumulating in the food chain because they are a part of the overall microplastic pollution. “With the microplastics, with the smaller pieces, we know from laboratory studies that there’s the potential for those small pieces to cause harm,” said Richard Thompson, a marine biologist.
Ocean Wise’s report raises concerns about marine life mistaking microplastics and microfibers for food because that can work their way up through the food chain, potentially causing harm to human consumers.
