When micro plastics from polyester fabrics get in the ocean, it poses a threat to the marine environment due to the chemical pollution. Mistra Future Fashion now starts a new project called Micro plastics that will investigate the relation between fabric properties and shedding for polyester fabrics, and thereby contribute to fill current research gap.
Stockholm, Dec 14, 2016. Micro plastics in the ocean pose a threat to the marine environment. The cause behind the increasing amount of micro plastics in marine water bodies is not fully known, but some of the few studies made so far point to washing of textiles as a major contributor. The Mistra Future Fashion Micro plastic project aims to contribute where there is a research gap as the current research is focused on describing the problem with micro plastics, rather than pointing to possible solutions. The project aims to investigate the relation between fabric properties and shedding for polyester fabrics. The scientific contribution will be empirical knowledge as well as a theoretical framework for on the one hand how to construct and on the other hand how to care for polyester fabrics to minimize micro plastics shedding. The project is set-up as a pilot study together with three partners in Mistra Future Fashion, the companies Boob Design, Filippa K and H&M.
The project is led by Sandra Roos at Swerea and will be conducted during spring 2017. The study will complement the current Mistra Future Fashion research program by adding actionable knowledge relevant for many stakeholders. The findings are also foreseen to be used for designing a subsequent larger research project treating the full problem area, and with more partners and stakeholders involved.
