The microfibre problem is not new, but awareness is recent, and evidence-based research is growing.

Tiny fibres are released from natural, synthetic and man-made cellulosic textiles throughout the product lifecycle. These are widely referred to as microfibres, microplastics, or fibre fragments.

Reaching the environment through a number of pathways, we know that microfibres have the potential to harm the environment, wildlife and people through their presence in our ecosystems from marine and freshwater environments to air and soil.

All types of fibres have a propensity to shed to some extent, understanding the full impacts of their physical and toxicological presence are growing areas of research - therefore we must not limit our focus to synthetic materials.

Led by science, we seek to understand both the drivers of fibre fragmentation and, through external sources of research, the impacts on human health and ecosystems, such that we can collectively take the right actions to mitigate negative impacts.

As our understanding grows, we see encouraging opportunities to address the problem through a range of interventions in material strategies, circular design and environmental management approaches. Within design and development, we can embed deep textile learnings across all process steps in the value chain to minimise fibre shedding in materials. Within manufacturing, we can align guidance across the sector to ensure clear and measurable action on managing fibre loss in production.

Accepting that fibre fragmentation is not an isolated issue means integrating a multifaceted approach to mitigation with broader sector sustainability strategies.