Compostable algae-based TPU plastic study results
September 1st, 2024
TOP ROW: Electron microscopy showing degradation of cotton coated with bio-based TPU following two weeks of composting, compared with the control on the right. BOTTOM ROW: A bio-based phone case showed degradation after a year under home composting conditions, compared with the control on the right. Image: Algenesis Corporation Researchers from material science company Algenesis […]
Researchers investigate nanoplastics
June 1st, 2024
Particles of nanoplastics on the surface of the fleece fiber are visible under a scanning electron microscope. The particles detach during washing, so that after four washes, there are hardly any left. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) have taken the study of microplastics to the next level—nanoplastics. Empa […]
Consumers unaware clothes cause microplastic pollution
July 7th, 2023
Photo: © David Pereiras Villagra, Dreamstime.com. New consumer research from Cotton Incorporated finds that half of adults surveyed are familiar with microplastic pollution, and fewer are taking action to minimize microplastic pollution when it comes to their clothing choices. The quantitative online survey of 527 U.S. adults found that 49% are familiar with the term […]
Reducing microplastics: Research and what we can do now
July 1st, 2023
Plastic breaks down in the oceans into microplastics, which are threatening the food web. Photo: Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash When synthetic textiles and clothing are washed—at both the industrial and the personal level—they shed small plastic particles known as microfibers that make their way into our ecosystem. Microfibers make up more than a third […]
Shed Less fleece creates less microplastic in the laundry
May 1st, 2023
Polartec®, a Milliken & Co. brand, announced Polartec Shed Less Fleece, a new milestone in its effort to reduce textile fiber fragment shedding. Shed Less is a process that combines yarn construction, knitting, chemistry and manufacturing to reduce home laundry fiber fragment shedding by an average of 85%. The Shed Less process works by engineering […]
Textiles dominate Canadian grants to solve the problem of plastic waste
May 1st, 2021
Plastic litter pollutes rivers, lakes and oceans, harming wildlife and generating macro and microplastics (pictured). The Canadian Plastics Innovations Challenges target plastics sectors that generate large quantities of plastic waste and show the greatest opportunity for innovation. Photo: © David Pereiras Villagra, Dreamstime.com. Through the Innovative Solutions Canada program, four Canadian companies have been awarded […]