In a study by the OSPAR, a committee that is committed to protecting and preserving the North – East Atlantic Ocean, from 2017 an overview is given of the origin of the microparticles (microplastic) that end up in the ocean. The participating countries in this study are Belgium, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The microplastics sources comprise several segments, including fibres released from the wash (laundry fibres). It also covers the emission of a larger plastic waste that is dumped in nature. With a domestic washing cycle, small fibres of your clothes will break off and end up in the sewer.
In a study by the IUCN (International Union for Conversation of Nature) in Switzerland was found that home and professional laundry of textiles contributes almost 35% to the amount of microfibres that end up in the ecosystem.
The contribution of the industrial cleaning is only 0,1% of the total!