Microfibre Pollution: A New Challenge for the Textile Industry
For years, the environmental impact of textiles has been measured in terms of carbon emissions, water consumption and waste. Today, another issue is gaining attention: microfibre pollution.
Tiny fibres can be released throughout the textile lifecycle, from manufacturing and everyday use to washing and end-of-life processing. Research into manufacturing choices and microfibre release has highlighted that fibre loss can occur long before garments even reach consumers, while the European Environment Agency’s report on microplastics from textiles estimates that between 200,000 and 500,000 tonnes of textile-related microplastics enter the marine environment globally each year.
As sustainability expectations increase, organisations are increasingly asking a broader question:
How can textile resources be kept in productive use for longer?
Why Is Microfibre Pollution Becoming a Growing Concern?
Microfibre pollution is only one part of a much larger textile sustainability challenge.
Large volumes of textiles, workwear, uniforms and PPE reach end-of-life every year despite retaining valuable materials that can still be recovered and repurposed.
According to the European Commission, increasing textile circularity remains a significant opportunity for reducing waste and improving resource efficiency across Europe.
At the same time, legislation such as the EU Waste Framework Directive continues to encourage organisations to prioritise reuse, recovery and recycling over disposal.
The challenge for businesses is no longer simply how to dispose of unwanted textiles.
The focus is increasingly shifting towards how their materials can be recovered and used again.
Why the Textile Industry Must Pay Attention
The scale of global textile consumption makes even relatively small improvements significant.
More than 100 billion garments are produced globally each year, while less than 1% of clothing materials are recycled into new clothing. Synthetic fibres now account for the majority of global fibre production, increasing pressure on businesses, manufacturers and policymakers to adopt more circular approaches.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Textiles Economy promotes keeping products and materials in circulation for as long as possible, reducing waste while maximising resource value. For organisations managing textiles, uniforms, workwear and PPE, this means looking beyond disposal and considering how materials can continue delivering value after a garment has reached end-of-life.
Putting Circular Textile Management into Practice
Through Avena’s SECUREBRAND® solution, end-of-life textiles, uniforms, workwear, PPE and branded textiles can be securely collected, processed and diverted into a range of repurposing and remanufacturing applications. Where materials are suitable, recovered textile fibres can be transformed into products such as insulation panels, geotextiles, acoustic materials and textile reinforced concrete, helping businesses recover value from textiles that would otherwise become waste.
One of Avena’s latest innovations is textile reinforced precast concrete, which incorporates recovered textile fibres into durable construction products. This enables organisations to create a truly circular solution, with fibres recovered from their own end-of-life textiles potentially being repurposed into concrete products for use within their own sites and operations.
Applications include, but are not limited to:
- Retaining walls
- Flood defence systems
- Landscaping products
- Rapid gate systems
- Site segregation barriers
- Traffic management solutions
- Commercial infrastructure projects
Many products can also be customised with embossed company logos, creating a unique opportunity to transform former uniforms or workwear into long-lasting infrastructure assets.
Importantly, while reducing microfibre pollution remains a key objective for the textile industry, keeping materials in productive use through recovery, repurposing and remanufacturing helps support a more circular approach to textile management and reduces the volume of textiles leaving the economy as waste.
FAQS
What is microfibre pollution?
Microfibre pollution occurs when tiny fibres are released from textiles during manufacturing, use, washing and disposal, entering the environment and waterways. As businesses look to reduce their environmental impact, solutions such as Avena’s SECUREBRAND® support a more circular approach to textile management by helping organisations recover and repurpose end-of-life textiles wherever possible.
What happens to end-of-life textiles?
End-of-life textiles don’t have to become waste. Where possible, through recycling, repurposing and remanufacturing processes, textile materials can be transformed into products such as insulation panels, geotextiles, acoustic materials and textile reinforced concrete products. Avena’s SECUREBRAND® solution helps organisations maximise the value of these materials through responsible end-of-life textile management.
How can businesses improve textile circularity?
Businesses can improve textile circularity by extending garment life, reducing unnecessary replacements and recovering materials when products reach end-of-life. Through SECUREBRAND®, Avena helps organisations securely collect, process and repurpose textiles into new applications, supporting circular economy and sustainability objectives.
Can old workwear be turned into concrete products?
Yes. Through Avena’s innovative textile reinforced concrete solution, recovered textile fibres can be incorporated into precast concrete products including retaining walls, flood defence systems, site segregation barriers, landscaping features and other infrastructure applications. Businesses are able to buy back textile reinforced concrete products, with their own recovered textile fibres in them, promoting full circularity.
Has Avena supported other businesses before?
Yes. Avena supports organisations across a range of sectors with secure and sustainable textile recovery solutions.
- Discover how Avena supports Arla with responsible resource management and circular recovery initiatives.
- Read how Eurostar partnered with Avena to support its sustainability objectives through secure and sustainable asset management.
- Explore our work with Sudbury Silk Mills, Sunseeker and Micronclean to see how end-of-life textiles can be securely recovered and repurposed into valuable new applications.
Ready to adopt a secure and sustainable textile solution? Speak to one of our experts today.
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