Over 58,000 Tonnes of Microfibres From Textile Production Leak into the Environment Annually

NEW research published today (30th July 2026) by Earth Action reveals that textile manufacturing generates 92,000 tonnes of microfibre pollution every year with 63%, more than 58,000 tonnes, leaking into the environment.

The report, From Shedding to Solutions, provides the first global system-level baseline of microfibre losses and leakage during textile manufacturing, mapping the full pathway from fibre production through to wastewater treatment and sludge disposal.

Microfibres are microscopic particles, often made of plastic, that clothing sheds when it is made, worn and laundered. Once released into the environment, they are extremely difficult to remove and are increasingly recognised as one of the most common forms of microplastic pollution.

Even after treatment, the majority still escape into the environment, with existing infrastructure preventing only 34,000 tonnes (37%) of leakage each year.

The report highlights under a high-ambition scenario combining improved wastewater treatment, controlled sludge disposal and cleaner manufacturing processes, could reduce microfibre leakage in the production phase by approximately 95% by 2032.

Today global losses during production are concentrated in major textile-producing countries, with 54% occurring in Bangladesh (25%), Pakistan (17%) and China (12%). However, high production losses do not automatically translate into the highest levels of environmental leakage.

When wastewater treatment and sludge management practices are factored in, the geography of pollution shifts. China overtakes Pakistan as the second-largest polluter at 15%, compared with Pakistan’s 11%, and Bangladesh remains the largest contributor to global microfibre leakage, accounting for 24% of total annual emissions.

Wastewater treatment is highly effective at cutting microfibre pollution in water, with a reduction of 82% where deployed, and delivering additional water quality benefits. But capture is not the same as containment. Unless captured fibres then go through controlled sludge disposal, they are simply relocated from water to land rather than eliminated.

For this reason, Earth Action highlight wastewater treatment and sludge management should be treated as two halves of one system. On its own, advanced wastewater treatment reduces total leakage by 6%; moving all facilities to well-managed sludge disposal alone delivers a 43% reduction. Deployed together, the two reinforce each other and compound to unlock far more of the system’s reduction potential than either can alone.

While downstream infrastructure affects where fibres are found, the amount released from the outset is shaped upstream by product design and development. Relatively small adjustments in textile construction such as yarn construction, fabric density and finishing treatments can drive large changes in shedding behaviour. Recent experimental work shows certain polyester textiles can reduce shedding by 60–90% through changes in chemical finishing or knitting structure.

Three coordinated, measurable levers can deliver this reduction: optimising manufacturing processes to shed less during production, expanding wastewater treatment in under-served production regions, and ensuring controlled containment of treatment sludge.

Applied separately, the three levers would reduce leakage by a combined 54,000 tonnes; applied together, they reach roughly 74,000 tonnes, a result that compounds rather than simply adding up.

Kyle Blakely, SVP Innovation, Design Studio, Development & Testing, Under Armour, said:  “This report reinforces that the industry has reached an inflection point – measurement alone is no longer sufficient. The greatest opportunity lies upstream: treating low-shedding construction as an engineering parameter embedded in design decisions from day one, not a metric measured at the end.

“No single brand can solve this alone. Coordinated action across the value chain is essential to achieving the reductions the science demands, and Under Armour is committed to contributing its data, methodology, and experience to that collective effort.”

Matt Dwyer, Vice President Global Product Footprint, of Patagonia, said: “Microfibre shedding is a pervasive issue of pollution, spanning industries and occurring throughout the entire product lifecycle.

“Solving complicated, broad problems like microfibre pollution requires partnership and an acknowledgement that, while we don’t have all the answers today, we can move faster as a collective.”

Sarah Perreard, Co-Founder, Earth Action: “This is the first time the full system has been mapped at this scale, and it won’t be the last. Each new phase will sharpen the picture further. But the evidence is already strong enough to act on now.

“Microfibres don’t stay where they’re shed. They travel through rivers and oceans, into the food we eat and, increasingly, into our own bodies. The longer we wait, the harder and more expensive this pollution becomes to undo. Brands and regulators don’t need to wait for a complete picture. They need the will to use what we already know.”

Dr Amy Zimmer-Faust, Plastics Strategy Lead at The Nature Conservancy, said: “Reducing microfibre pollution is not the responsibility of a single actor. Production facilities serve multiple brands. Wastewater infrastructure is shared. Innovation depends on collaboration.   

“Practical interventions exist today. The task before us is to scale them responsibly and equitably, guided by science and strengthened through partnership.”

For more information visit: www.e-a.earth/research/from-shedding-to-solutions/

Top image by Jonathan Borba via pexels.com