The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) and textile testing equipment specialist James Heal have unveiled a new test method that can be used to measure the amount of microfibres released from clothing using a simulated domestic laundering cycle.
Known at the TMC Test Method, the fibre fragmentation and measurement process was developed through a collaborative relationship between the University of Leeds, the European Outdoor Group and The Microfibre Consortium, as well as the TMC’s larger stakeholder network. Fibre fragmentation refers to the process where small quantities of fibres, often referred to as microfibres, are lost from textiles at various stages of a product’s lifecycle.
Estimates suggest that between 6,490 tonnes to 87,165 tonnes of tiny fibres from natural and man-made textile sources, such as cotton and polyester, are released from UK domestic washing machines into the environment each year. These microfibres enter the environment through a number of pathways, such as through wastewater, soil and air.
Speaking at the launch event at King’s College, London, Helen Warburton, technical textiles specialist at James Heal, explained that the test was underpinned by the company’s Gyrowash technology, which was originally created for testing colour fastness in laundering fabrics and leather.
“As a company focused on innovation, we are delighted that a James Heal instrument, in this case the GyroWash, continues to be used in this groundbreaking research,” she said. “We hope it will make a difference in helping the textile industry to recognise and reduce their impact on environmental pollution through relevant testing.”
The system works using samples that are taken equally from both the warp and weft directions, as well as from the selvedge of the fabric. Prior to testing, a reading of the dry mass of the fabric is taken with each sample then laundered at a specified time and temperature.
Once the cycle is completed, users can then filter the residual wash liquor from the machine. The filters are then dried with the residual fibres left indicating the level of fragmentation of each sample.
Kelly Sheridan, research director of The Microfibre Consortium added: “The Microfibre Consortium bridge the gap between academia and the industry. It is only through such science-led, industry aligned action that together we will be able to combat microfibre pollution to the environment.”
