Did you know that every week we ingest 5 grams of microplastics? It is the equivalent to the size of a credit card, as indicated in the World Wide Fund for Nature report. Microparticles are present everywhere in our daily lives, from clothing to cosmetics, and they contribute to the devastating pollution of our waterways.

The problem with microplastics is that—like plastic items of any size—they do not readily break down into harmless molecules. Plastics can take hundreds or thousands of years to decompose—and in the meantime, wreak havoc on the environment. On beaches, microplastics are visible as tiny multicolored plastic bits in sand. In the oceans, microplastic pollution is often consumed by marine animals. 

Our marine environment is increasingly contaminated by plastic waste, with nearly 8 million tons of waste reaching our seas and oceans every year. This represents approximately 253 kilos of plastic per second (yes, you read that right, per second) entering our oceans. Microplastic may be hard to see with our human eyes, but the pollution is certainly adding up, and is now introduced into our food chain. Studies published from 2010-2013 found that an average of 15% of the fish sampled contained plastic; in studies published from 2017-2019, that share rose to 33%. Fish eat microplastic pollution and then we eat fish. Can the issue be made any clearer? 

In an attempt to combat this disastrous pollution, GUPPYFRIEND, a German patented microplastic solution, has created a self-cleaning fabric bag that filters out the smallest microfibers released by textiles during washing. The bag is untreated, undyed and contains no additives because it is made of a specially designed micro-filtering material.

The plastic particles that are usually so small that they escape water treatment and sewage treatment plants are contained in the bag and the fibers can simply be collected at the end of the wash cycle and disposed of properly. One of the best ways to avoid microplastics shedding from clothing during washing is to stop buying synthetic clothing, however to further care for the clothing we already own, GUPPYFRIEND is a great solution to help you do your part as a conscious consumer! 

SHOP GUPPYFRIEND NOW!

Source: 

National Geographic