The UK’s University of Northumbria in Newcastle has set up the Fibre-fragmentation and Environment Research Hub (FibER Hub), a laboratory that will focus on studying the environmental impact of microfibre loss in textiles.

The project is the result of a collaboration between Northumbria University and the Microfibre Consortium (TMC). The consortium was set up in 2018 by textile companies, scientific researchers and environmental experts. Its goal is establishing standardised test protocols to quantify and evaluate microfibre release from textiles.

Fibre Hub’s role will be to thoroughly test a wide variety of fabrics to determine the level of microfibre loss under different conditions, and the resulting environmental impact. An aspect that is set to complement current research, which has so far focused on fibres shed during garment washing.

Fiber Hub was set up as part of the Impact+ project, launched in 2023 with the support of labels such as Asos and Barbour, and funded by UK universities and research organisations. The focus of Impact+ is on attempting to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion and textile sector.

“This strategic partnership reflects the primary objective of the Impact+ network by focusing on microfibres as a neglected and unmeasured environmental pollutant,” said Dr Alana James, principal researcher at Fibre Hub. “Interdisciplinary collaboration with design and environmental science will enable our research to reduce fibre shedding at the root cause, whilst implementing these insights directly within an industry setting,” she added.

The issue of microfibre shedding was identified some time ago. In 2011, the Environmental Science & Technology journal estimated that 1.5 million tons were discarded each year. According to the Ocean Wise NGO, 35% of microplastics in the oceans come directly from textiles.