What are microplastic fibers, and why are they dangerous?

Plastic is everywhere. And we mean that literally. When you think of plastic, you might picture supermarket packaging or the plastic soup in rivers and oceans. But did you know there are also tiny plastic particles invisible to the naked eye? We call these microplastics. They come in all sorts of sizes, colours and shapes, including fibre-shaped ones. They end up in nature and in our bodies, and can make us sick. But what exactly are these particles, where do they come from, why are they dangerous, and what can be done about them?

Microplastic fibres are tiny plastic particles. They mainly come from clothing or other textile products such as carpets, made from synthetic fabrics. You've probably heard of polyester, a plastic fabric made from crude oil. The same goes for acrylic, elastane, spandex, polyamide and lycra. Manufacturers come up with all sorts of appealing names for these fabrics so they don't have to put the word "plastic" on the label. Over the past twenty years, the use of these synthetic materials in fashion has doubled.

Microplastic fibres end up in nature because they come loose from clothing and other textile products. This happens mainly through friction, and unfortunately occurs throughout a garment's entire life cycle: from the moment the fabric is made and the garment is produced, to wearing and washing it. Millions of microfibres end up in the water and air this way. These plastic particles are found everywhere, from deep in the oceans to the highest mountain peaks.

After washing synthetic clothing, wastewater containing millions of microplastic fibres ends up in the sewer. Wastewater treatment plants do their best to remove as much as possible, but because the particles are so small, many still end up in the sea. Aquatic organisms take in the fibres and pass them on to larger animals in the food chain. That's not just bad for the animals — it can