[ [link removed] ]A hand with beach sand full of small plastic particles.
John,
Our oceans are rapidly turning into a plastic soup – awash with 14 billion
tons of tiny, toxic particles that will never break down. And every day,
more microplastics flow out of our drains into once-pristine rivers and
seas.
The maddening thing is there’s an easy way to stem this pollution – it’s
just not being done. A full third of microplastics come from laundry, and
can be stopped with a simple filter, but washing machine manufacturers
have been reluctant to fit them to save costs.
Now France has made it mandatory for all new machines to have filters, and
if other countries follow suit, the impact on our oceans would be massive.
That’s why we have a team of campaigners ready to roll out a huge campaign
on this – but for them to get to work, we need your help.
If everyone reading this chips in, we can launch an all out advocacy surge
– going from government to government to push them to get on board,
running media-grabbing actions and naming and shaming washing machine
companies who’d rather destroy the oceans than lose a fraction of their
profits.
We’ve done this before – pushing McDonald’s to stop using plastic straws
and eventually getting them banned across Europe. We can do it again on
microplastics – are you in?
[ [link removed] ]Donate
$3[ [link removed] ]Donate
another amount
Washing machine filters may not sound exciting, but they are literally
world-changing – these simple devices capture 90% of the plastic
microfibers that shed from material like polyester and nylon as it spins,
preventing these toxic threads reaching our waterways and poisoning
sealife.
But they’re not being introduced fast enough – and we know they won’t be
without major pressure on governments and companies to act. That’s where
we come in.
If we can raise enough, we’ll launch a huge campaign to push the European
Commission to adopt the French law across the EU – using the same tactics
that helped get plastic straws and cutlery banned. And once laundry
machine manufacturers have to include the filter in their models to sell
in Europe, we’ll pressure them to roll it out across the globe.
At the same time, we’ll target the biggest washing machine manufacturer,
Electrolux, taking out newspaper ads, funding reports, and staging
attention grabbing stunts calling on them to act. And when we force them
to include these filters in all models, it will create a domino effect
across the whole industry.
This is a moment that the Ekō community was made for, but it’s a massive
undertaking and we can’t do it alone – will you chip in to help save our
oceans from microplastics?
[ [link removed] ]Donate
$3[ [link removed] ]Donate
another amount
Thanks for all that you do,
Allison, Nabil and the Ekō team
---------------------------------
More information:
[ [link removed] ]Microplastics found in ocean samples across the world
BBC. 7 June 2023.
[ [link removed] ]Our clothes shed microfibres – here’s what we can do…
Fashion Revolution.
[ [link removed] ]Worried about your laundry releasing microplastics? A filter could be a
simple solution
The Guardian. 22 May 2023.
[ [link removed] ]Your Laundry Sheds Harmful Microfibers. Here’s What You Can Do About
It.
The New York Times. 5 August 2021.
[ [link removed] ]Washing machines filters to tackle microplastic
Textile Technology. 27 April 2023.
Ekō is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.
Please help keep Ekō strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]
