The first "eco-friendly" laundry bag specifically designed to prevent plastic fiber pollution in the ocean. Does washing clothes create plastic waste? The Guardian reports that German outdoor retailer Alexander Nolte & Oliver Spies has developed a super-fine mesh laundry bag that prevents plastic fibers from wool fabrics from entering the environment with laundry wastewater. The company is now collaborating with the well-known outdoor apparel brand Patagonia, and this week will ship the new laundry bag, "Guppy Friend," to those who supported them on Kickstarter last year. It will then be available on Patagonia. "Guppy Friend" is the first product developed specifically to address plastic fiber pollution. Plastic fibers are very small and easily end up in wastewater treatment plants. While natural fibers like wool or cotton biodegrade over time, synthetic fibers are not and easily absorb harmful chemicals from wastewater, such as pesticides or flame retardants. Furthermore, clothing fibers often contain chemicals to enhance waterproofing and other functionalities. Numerous studies have indicated that plankton and other small organisms ingesting plastic fibers can experience health problems and also introduce these fibers into the food chain. Researchers have also found large amounts of plastic fibers in fish and shellfish sold in markets. Currently, there is no research showing whether plastic fibers are harmful to humans. However, Nott believes that scientific research takes time, and it may take several generations to understand the harm caused by these substances. Our daily activities, such as washing clothes and driving, generate waste. The ocean knowledge community "Ocean Says" points out that a new report released by the IUCN yesterday (23rd) shows that most primary microplastics actually come from synthetic fibers or tire wear. The report mentions that of the 9.5 million tons of plastic that enters the ocean each year, 15-31% are these primary microplastics, and two-thirds of these come from fibers washed down from daily laundry and tire wear from driving. This research also broadened the horizons of Inger Anderson, director of the IUCN, who stated, "Not all the plastic waste we see will turn into ocean plastic. To solve the problem of ocean pollution, we must look further than waste disposal and require corporate leadership to improve production methods through research and development." Fraunhofer Institute, Europe's largest applied science research institution, collaborated with Nolte and Spies to test and examine the design and materials of laundry bags, ultimately choosing polyamide, or nylon, which does not easily release fibers. The laundry bag has a mesh size of 50 microns, allowing soapy water to pass through but retaining plastic fibers. After washing, the fibers in the mesh can be removed by hand and discarded. Tests showed that the laundry bag remained functional even after hundreds of uses. Nolte and Spies' efforts are not isolated. A startup, Rozalia Project, is also developing a plastic fiber trapping device, though it is not yet available. In addition, devices that prevent fibers from entering septic tanks already exist on the market, but require some piping work for installation and cost $130 each. Since commissioning research at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in 2015, Patagonia has been striving to reduce plastic fiber pollution. Researchers calculated that each Patagonia fleece jacket releases 25,000 synthetic fibers per wash. With 100,000 jackets sold worldwide annually, the amount of plastic fibers released is enough to make 11,900 plastic bags. Phil Graves, manager at Patagonia's venture capital firm, Tin Shed Ventures, noticed "Guppy Friend" last summer. Furthermore, Nolte and Spies' outdoor stores already sell Patagonia products. "We received early samples of the laundry bag and had them tested by UCSB. They confirmed that the bag could retain 90 to 95% of the fibers. We used our own materials engineers to advise Nolte and Spies that a modified laundry bag could retain 99% of the fibers," Graves said. Patagonia provided Nolte and Spies with €100,000 in funding to develop laundry bags and establish a supply chain; the two also raised €28,640 on Kickstarter. The retail price of the laundry bags is yet to be determined, but it is expected to be between $20 and $30 (approximately NT$600 to NT$900). Source: Environmental Information Center (2017-02-24)
