Dear Friends of 5 Gyres,
We closed out Plastic Free July with some big news:
Senator Merkley introduced the Fighting Fibers Act of 2024, which would require a microfiber filtration system on new washing machines sold in the United States by 2030. We know that a single load of laundry can release up to 18 million microfibers, and filters are a proven solution that can capture up to 90% of them before they enter the environment. Although the microfiber issue requires interventions across the entire life cycle of textiles (more on that below!), filtration can have a big impact in the near term, and we are proud to be driving this solution forward. Â
