More than 58,000 tonnes of microfibres from textile production leak into the environment every year, according to a new analysis.
The report by research consultancy Earth Action claims more than 92,000 tonnes of microfibres are lost during textile production every year, with almost two thirds (63%) leaking into the environment.
According to the study these losses arise from the wet processing stages of textile production, including finishing, dyeing, washing, and other processes.
Washing processes account for the largest share of intrinsic losses (49%), followed by dyeing (24%) and finishing (7%).
And the report says these intrinsic losses are concentrated in major textile-producing regions, with approximately 25% of global production-phase losses occuring in Bangladesh, followed by Pakistan (17%) and China (12%).
But it adds when considering environmental leakage, the distribution shifts somewhat.
Bangladesh remains the leading contributor at 24% of total global microfiber emissions, but China overtakes Pakistan, accounting for 15% and 11%, respectively.
This divergence stems from regional differences in wastewater treatment infrastructure and sludge containment practices, according to the report.
It also highlights the role wastewater treatment can play in cutting microfibre pollution in water, with a reduction of 82% where deployed, and delivering additional water quality benefits.
But it warns capture is not the same as containment and unless captured fibres then go through controlled sludge disposal, they are simply relocated from water to land rather than eliminated.
For this reason, Earth Action argues wastewater treatment and sludge management should be treated as two halves of one system.
On its own, advanced wastewater treatment reduces total leakage by 6%; moving all facilities to well-managed sludge disposal alone delivers a 43% reduction.
The report says deployed together, the two reinforce each other and compound to unlock far more of the system’s reduction potential than either can alone.
Earth Action co-founder Sarah Perreard said there are opportunities for collective action to reduce microfiber leakage at various stages of the manufacturing process, in an interview.
For example, she added a combination production changes, wastewater treatment and sludge management could reduce microfiber leakage by 95%.
“When addressed together, the different levers actually reinforce each other,” Perreard told me.
“By working in production sequence and at all the levels of what brands can do, what textile mills can do and what governments can do, we see some really good potential for reduction.”
She also highlighted the possibility of a domino effect, where if one clothing brand calls on a textile mill to implement changes and reduce leakage, it will also benefit other brands using the same mill.
“We do not need to work with the whole industry to actually have an impact, but just those who will push at the start, put it on put it on the agenda, and mainstream this topic,” said Perreard.
“This is an industry which has become really complex, with lots of different products,” she added.
“There are brands who are not just investing in wastewater treatment at the mill, they are going a step further and specifying low shedding fabrics and constructions, which has an impact not only during production but also later on, when the garment is washed by the consumer.”
Matt Dwyer, vice president of global product footprint, of Patagonia, said microfibre shedding is a pervasive issue of pollution, spanning industries and occurring throughout the entire product lifecycle, in a statement.
Dwyer added solving complicated, broad problems like microfibre pollution requires partnership and an acknowledgement “that, while we don’t have all the answers today, we can move faster as a collective”.