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From Laundry to the Ocean: Fixing the Microplastics Problem in Clothes

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The Wall Street Journal

Technology

4.41.4K Ratings

🗓️ 6 January 2023

⏱️ 24 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Our clothes are in need of a refresh, but not in the way you might think. With each wash, everything from sweaters to socks are releasing tiny, microscopic fibers into our water. Almost 35% of the primary microplastics in oceans right now come from laundry, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. From filters in our washing machines to new materials for our clothes, alternatives are in the works to stop microplastics from coming off our clothes. But will it be enough? WSJ’s Alex Ossola and Ariana Aspuru speak about the steps researchers and companies are taking to solve the problem of microplastics in our wash. Further reading: The Tiny Plastics in Your Clothes Are Becoming a Big Problem - WSJ Ocean Garbage Patches Have a Microscopic Problem - WSJ Fashion Firms Look to Single-Fiber Clothes as EU Recycling Regulations Loom - WSJ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:30.4

Hi, Ariana. Hey, Alex. Okay, we have this piece of clothing here on the table. What is

0:44.7

this garment you're showing me? It's this white mock neck zip-up jacket that I've had

0:49.6

for years now. It used to be a white color, now it's sort of cream, and it's got blue

0:55.3

and purple embroidered flowers. It really gives me grandma home vibes. Sometimes we need

1:00.0

that. It's my favorite jacket. But, you know, now I'm seeing it doesn't look exactly

1:06.0

pristine. Yeah, you'd be right. I think it's been peeling up a bit just because I've

1:09.8

been washing it in warm water and a detergent pod for, you know, all the years that I've

1:13.7

had it. Warm water, huh? I mean, I'm kind of more of a cold watergirl myself, but okay.

1:18.5

Yeah, and I learned that when you wash your clothes, like, you know, when I wash my jacket,

1:22.7

it release hundreds of thousands of microfibers into the environment with every single wash.

1:27.0

And so some of those microfibers are made of synthetics, like acrylic and polyester,

1:31.2

like my jacket's 100% polyester, meaning those tiny fibers are microplastics. Huh,

1:36.6

that kind of makes sense because I know that a lot of clothes are made with at least some plastic

1:40.6

now. Yeah, that's so true. And I learned that the thin feeling that I'm getting, you know,

1:44.7

with my jacket now, it's because the synthetic fibers are rubbing off and washing away with

...

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