One of the main sources of marine pollution could be our clothes, whose synthetic microfibers rejected by our washing machines are found from the sea ice to the abyss. If few wastewater treatment plants are able to stop plastic microfibers, a few daily gestures could help reduce this pollution.

From the sea ice to the abyss, the synthetic microfibers spewed out by our washing machines are everywhere. Our clothes are a major source of plastic pollution in the oceans, an invisible scourge that can be attacked on several fronts. Bags, bottles, straws, various packaging... The hunt for plastic has started all over the world, in an attempt to reduce the 8 million tons of plastic that end up in the ocean every year, in the form of large pieces or microparticles. But one of the main culprits of this marine pollution is often forgotten: synthetic textiles, polyester, nylon or acrylic.

Our clothes create invisible pollution

"The majority of our clothes are made of plastic," says Imogen Napper, a researcher at the University of Plymouth. "We think that washing our clothes could be one of the main sources of plastic pollution in the environment," she continues, calling this "invisible" pollution "frightening" and one that will continue "at least in our lifetime.

The figures vary from one study to another and from one material to another, but according to scientists, with each machine wash, hundreds of thousands or even millions of microfibers go down the drain, some of which end up in the sea. The Ellen McArthur Foundation described in 2015 a leakage of 500,000 tons per year of these tiny fibers, on a production of 53 million tons of textile. According to a study by the organization Ocean Wise published last year, an average household in the United States and Canada emits 533 million microfibers per year. And while 95% of this is intercepted during wastewater treatment in these countries, 878 tons would still end up at sea. Since practices differ from one continent to another and few wastewater treatment plants are capable of stopping such small elements, it is difficult to extrapolate a global figure, notes one of the authors, Peter Ross.

Reducing ocean pollution: actions to take

Whatever their volume, microfibers, like other microplastics, are probably just as harmful to small organisms, which mistake them for food, as a plastic bag is to a turtle. Even if it is less easy to prove in nature: "The evidence disappears quickly, the weak or dead individuals are eaten by other species", explains the marine biologist. So like him, researchers are trying to identify the conditions under which a wash rejects more or less microfibers.

From textile manufacturing to fast fashion

Or rather, "we must act simultaneously at the different stages of microfiber discharge," from textile manufacturing to wastewater treatment, insists Francesca de Falco. On the manufacturing side, each synthetic material has its own properties, and the way in which the threads are woven also comes into play. Some brands are working with scientists to evaluate the performance of their fleece jackets or elastane T-shirts.

Should we turn to natural textiles? Not so simple, say the experts, insisting on the example of cotton, greedy in water and pesticides. "Natural alternatives [...] can be expensive, have their own environmental problems," says Imogen Napper, for whom the real problem is elsewhere. "We live in a fast fashion culture. When you realize the volume of clothes we buy, it's scary. "

Watch this video to better understand the problem of polyester clothing

We advise you to look for clothes that are made of organic cotton like the Salters brand, which only offers clothes made of organic cotton and recycled polyester.