Read the full story at Waste360.
Fashion brands and manufacturers are starting to pay attention to microplastics in the form of microfibers from synthetic materials, aware that these tiny fragments release into the environment during clothing manufacturing and laundering. They make their way to wastewater treatment plants where they are too small to be screened. Sometimes they get trapped in sludge used as fertilizer or one way or another ultimately end up on land or in oceans, endangering marine life, wildlife, and potentially impacting human health.
The miniscule textile particles add up: the average household creates about 44 pounds of dust a year and of that over 13 pounds are microplastics from textiles, according to Groningen University researcher Fransien van Dijk.
Polyester and nylon are top contributors.  The two most common clothing fabrics, they are recognized for their durability, high-performance—and for their persistence in the environment. CiCLO fibers, made by Intrinsic Advanced Materials –  a joint venture between Intrinsic Textiles Group and spun yarn supplier Parkdale Advanced Materials — is among evolving technologies aiming to lessen these materials’ plastics pollution load.
Environmental News Bits 