EPA & NOAA Release Microfiber Pollution Report

Report offers framework for future regulatory efforts to mitigate human and environmental toxicity concerns

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Trash Free Waters Program and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris Program have released their Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee Report on Microfiber Pollution. The June 2024 report to Congress addresses microfiber pollution and its sources  —  including textiles and apparel  — as well as pathways and prevention strategies. The report also proposes a unified definition of "microfiber," surveys the impacts of microfiber pollution, and identifies goals along with recommendations for how pollution can be reduced.

New potential goals for industry

Issued following a 30-day public comment period, the report represents the collaboration of an expert advisory committee including academic, government, and industry stakeholders. The final text notes that further research is needed to characterize the toxicity of plastic and non-plastic microfibers to human health and marine, freshwater, and terrestrial organisms, and it stresses the need for microfiber pollution-related regulations, industry standards for textile production and commercial washing machines, and toxicity and biodegradability thresholds for materials and chemical solutions.

According to the report, federal agencies should consider establishing five goals and actions in conjunction with industry stakeholders to reduce domestic microfiber pollution in soil, air, and marine environments, including:

• Supporting critical research to address microfiber pollution
• Environmental microfiber pollution prevention and reduction
• Capturing microfibers in major pollution transport pathways
• Minimizing related toxicological hazards
• Coordinating and sharing related accomplishments, best practices, and science

The report also includes recommendations for standardization of test methods; field sample collection in various environments; techniques for characterizing microfibers, such as the use of optical and spectroscopy microscopes and pyrolysis-GCMS; and extraction methods including filtration, chemical digestion, and density-based separation. 

Industry recommendations for microfiber pollution mitigation

The report also identifies new solutions for textile and clothing companies, carpet manufacturers, and other industry stakeholders as:

• Reducing Microfiber Pollution During Production — Quantifying microfiber pollution from textile manufacturing facilities, reviewing existing research to develop and adopt best practices, and incentivizing the application of these practices among suppliers.
• Designing Low-Shedding Fabrics  — Through research and scientific inquiry, improve overall understanding of the relationship between textile characteristics and fiber shedding and toxicity to promote the selection of design textiles that shed fewer microfibers throughout their lifetime.
• Implementing Advanced Filtration Technology — Optimizing existing on-site processes to capture and remove microfibers and implement advanced filtration technology if current capture and removal technologies are insufficient. 
• Developing Biodegradable Textiles — Evaluating the biodegradability and toxicity of existing cellulosic materials and newly developed fibers and creating precise criteria for biodegradability and compostability of fibers and textiles.
• Minimizing Textile Waste — Implementing reuse programs and other circular economy approaches to minimize textile waste, including conducting outreach campaigns to encourage consumers to reduce, reuse, or recycle textile waste and evaluating the relationship between textile recycling and microfiber pollution. 
• Public Education and Collaboration — Raising awareness about microfiber pollution and promoting low-shed products.

What's next? 

Regulations resulting from recommendations in the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee's report on microfiber pollution could have significant impacts for textile and carpet manufacturers, tobacco companies (selling products with microfiber filters), washing machine manufacturers, wastewater utility operators, and more.

Efforts by implementing agencies — including EPA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Department of Energy — and other initiatives, such as California's Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024, to mitigate microfiber pollution will take effect along varying timelines. Industry stakeholders can prepare by adopting best practices for reducing microfiber pollution, including implementing sustainable design practices, reviewing and enhancing manufacturing processes, improving product end-of-life management, and collaborating across sectors and with policymakers to develop new materials and technologies to address microfiber pollution.