A team of researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland has developed a new system to combat microplastic pollution in the fashion industry. Led by Lisa Macintyre, an associate professor at the university’s School of Textiles, the team has created what it calls the world’s first “visual fibre fragmentation scale.”
The grading system, which took four years of research to develop, measures the amount of fibre particles shed from various garment materials. According to a university press release, laundry processes and everyday wear and tear can cause thousands of small threads to break off from some fabrics, contributing to microplastic pollution.
The system uses a five-point scale to rate fibre loss, with grade 5 indicating the least shedding and grade 1 representing the highest level of fibre loss. This scale allows manufacturers to quickly assess materials and identify fabrics that shed fewer microfibres, helping them make more sustainable choices for garment production.
Compared to other methods, such as those used by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the new grading system is faster and more cost-effective, the researchers say. It allows for quick identification of low-shedding fabrics, which can then be subjected to further testing for suitability in garment manufacturing.
In the press release, Macintyre emphasized the scale’s importance in addressing the growing issue of microplastics. She explained that fashion and textiles are major contributors to secondary microplastics in the environment, particularly due to the shedding of plastic fibres like polyester and nylon. While industry standards already use visual scales to measure colour fading or fabric bobbling, no such tool existed for fibre shedding—until now.
The new five-point scale is also more accurate than existing methods, such as weighing fibres, particularly when evaluating very low levels of fragmentation. It can even be used to grade filters designed to capture fibre fragments from laundry water, further aiding in the effort to reduce microplastic pollution.
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