September 21, 2021 A Science-Based Microfiber Roadmap is Released

The Microfibre Consortium urges industry to sign major new 2030 commitment to reduce microfiber fragmentation and pollution.

The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) has unveiled the next phase of the apparel industry’s campaign to reduce fiber fragmentation from clothing textiles. The Microfibre 2030 Commitment will replace the existing membership model for TMC and commits companies to a sustained programme of collaborative and proactive cross industry work, aligned to the new Microfibre Roadmap, which has been backed by environmental non-profit agency The Nature Conservancy. The development is designed to put greater focus on the issue of fiber fragmentation and encourage all areas of the apparel industry to work together in addressing the topic.

The Microfibre Roadmap

At a special online event, TMC launched the Microfibre Roadmap, aligning the sector’s work to reduce fiber fragmentation, with clear goals, workstreams and timelines. The Microfibre 2030 Commitment now provides the working framework for signatories to deliver that roadmap and is the basis for TMC membership. It is designed to leverage greater impact, scale, accountability and visibility in the work towards reducing fiber fragmentation. All signatories are required to support the roadmap by taking meaningful, science-based, coordinated action on fiber fragmentation from natural and synthetic textiles.

In launching the Microfibre 2030 Commitment, TMC revealed that 69 organizations are already on board as signatories. They include some of the world’s biggest names across areas of the apparel industry, such as H&M, Patagonia, Helly Hansen, Jack Wolfskin, Finisterre, Oberalp, Hohenstein and more.

Melanie Kuntnawitz, Head of Vendor Control at Jack Wolfskin, comments on why it joined the initiative:

“To actively reduce microfiber pollution on our planet, we realized that we need to work together to identify root causes and take collaborative action. That’s why Jack Wolfskin is a signatory of The Microfibre 2030 Commitment.”

Committing to higher ambition

In addition to an annual financial/in-kind contribution to the work of TMC, member organizations are now required to carry out an agreed level of materials testing annually for the first three years, thereby contributing data to the Microfibre Data Portal, from which practical industry tools and resources will be developed in line with Microfibre Roadmap targets. Businesses will also contribute to Microfibre Roadmap targets by implementing mitigation actions in their own supply chains, as well as by acting as industry ambassadors to embed best practice across the textiles sector.

“Today marks the point where we shift gears,” shares Sophie Mather, Executive Director of The Microfibre Consortium, and continues:

“10 years ago, the textile sector started to recognize microfiber pollution as a topic of concern, and we acknowledge the phenomenal progress that has been made since then, and the stakeholders that have unflinchingly given their support to our work in recent years. Now, with the launch of the Microfibre 2030 Commitment and Roadmap, we enter a new stage of global alignment. We call on the wider industry to join our transparent and collaborative platform, which brings together the expertise, data and focus needed now to achieve impact at the necessary scale and pace.”

Photo: Alice Davies