Material choice, weaving techniques, and adjustments in the production process can solve a significant part of the microplastics problem in textiles. With knowledge and insight into how microplastic emissions occur, the sector encourages designers and consumers to make better choices. In addition, recent insights show that material selection, weaving techniques, industrial cleaning, and washing machines with special filters can significantly reduce the release of microplastics during use.
Synthetic materials remain the most widely used in the textile industry. Every year, about half a million tons of synthetic fibers go into textile production. They are cheap, strong, light, stretchable, water-repellent, and more. However, they release microplastics at every stage: during production, throughout the entire life cycle, and later as waste. Microplastics are very small plastic particles, between 5 mm and 1 nanometer, that arise from use, wear, and waste.
During the production process
It is estimated that almost half of all microfibers are created during the production process. At every stage of handling synthetic materials, microplastic emissions can be released. (source: PEW.org).
Thanks to recent studies by organizations such as the Microfibre Consortium, knowledge sharing is improving and practical solutions are being developed.
The microplastics washing machine
Textiles continuously lose fibers. Simply wearing clothing already causes fiber loss, but it is especially in the washing machine that microplastics enter sewers or soil via wastewater. Because a washing machine is a closed environment, small efforts can produce large results.
Special filters can capture a large proportion of microfibers. They can also be installed afterward, but unfortunately they are not yet standard. In industrial cleaning processes, filtration systems are already common. They stop more than 90% of microfibers thanks to:
- Centrifugal separation
- Ultra-fine mechanical filters
- Lint and microfiber separators
- Chemical and membrane filtration (UF/RO)
A design challenge
Loose-fiber fabrics such as fleece (a classic example) shed the most fibers. The current fashion trend is very “fluffy,” featuring fuzzy soft jackets and long loose fibers. The question is whether aesthetics should give way to sustainability—or whether design itself can provide the solution.
Apparently, it can. Shedding can be greatly reduced by spinning stronger fibers and producing tighter weaves. The Microfibre Consortium, a group that researches microfibers and proposes solutions within the textile industry, has built a data portfolio on fiber shedding from more than 600 different fabrics.
This research shows that good design—using stronger fibers—even for fleece and fluffy fabrics can reduce fiber emissions by 80–90%, provided that the material receives a finishing treatment that strengthens it and better protects it from shedding.
Also beyond fashion
Although attention is often focused on fashion, we should not forget technical textiles and interior textiles. Technical textiles are a rapidly growing sector used in many industries, including medical protective clothing, geotextiles, road construction, and agriculture.
What Europe wants to do
The EU is beginning to address the problem seriously.
- Ban on intentionally added microplastics
Since 2023, many products containing added microplastics have been restricted under REACH. A well-known example is toothpaste.
- Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (2024)
This framework allows the EU to impose requirements on products (including textiles) concerning sustainability, lifespan, and fiber loss.
- Textile waste regulations (2025)
New European rules aim to reduce textile waste and stimulate the circular economy. The polluter pays.
- Future measures (in preparation)
Work is underway on:
- washing machine filters
- product standards for fiber loss
- extended producer responsibility
Conclusion
Microplastics make it clear that textiles are no longer a simple sector.
It is simultaneously chemistry, material technology, agriculture, interior design, and fashion.
The industry seeks solutions for microplastics within its own ranks
The major shift now taking place in Europe is actually fundamental:
textiles are no longer seen only as a consumer product—but as an environmental technology product.
And perhaps that is the real change:
not “which clothes do we buy?” but what does a fiber still mean in a circular economy?
