Take sustainability into your own hands.

The Invisible Poison

Plastic. It surrounds us.  Used in everything from kitchenware to shopping bags, from cellphones to our clothes, it makes our lives easier.

But that which frees us, imprisons us.

For far too long the production of plastic has fueled our society, and our textiles. Beginning with the production of nylon back in the 1930s, synthetic textiles have infiltrated the market and currently constitute up to 70% of all textiles produced.

These plastics fibers, unbeknownst to us, have made their way from our clothes, to the land, water, and even the air.

How?

Microfiber Pollution.

In the washing machine, tiny plastics fibers break off of our clothing from abrasion and get washed down the drain. With many slipping past wastewater treatment facilities, microfibers have evaded capture, and notice, for almost a century. 

With numbers in the hundreds of thousands per load, fibers have been shed from every single load of laundry done. With Americans responsible for 35 billion loads of laundry annually, the total count on microfibers is in the millions of trillions. This level of plastic pollution is equivalent to every person in the United states celebrating New Year's by throwing 55 grocery bags into the nearest body of water, and that's only 1/25th of the world's population.

The issue with microfibers doesn't just lie in the sheer quantity. While the numbers are staggering, so is the long list of potential health complications due to microfiber consumption.

Hormonal imbalances, infertility, starvation, cancer.

On top of being produced with up to 8,000 different unregulated chemicals for our most desired features (u.v resistance, moisture wicking, waterproofing), these microplastics act as little sponges to absorb toxins from their environment. Upon consumption, the fibers then leak all these toxins into the consumer and lead to a host of problems.

Marine life is already experiencing these symptoms, passing the fibers up the food chain until they get to us. Studies show that prolonged or significant exposure to numerous chemicals used in synthetic fiber production can indeed cause these same symptoms in otherwise healthy children and adults. There's a reason BPA is banned from water bottles.

Further studies have shown the prevalence of microfibers even beyond oceans. Freshwater sources are being contaminated and, consequentially, so is our tap water.

Additionally, another study found that natural abrasion due to wearing synthetic clothing could be polluting the air around us. A study of Paris published in 2016 showed that anywhere from 3 to 10 tons of fibers pollute the Paris air annually in what is referred to as "atmospheric fallout."

What now?

Now that our water, land, and air has been polluted with the microplastics, all that is left is to find a solution to halt continued pollution. 

What can FibreFree do?

FibreFree is a laundry ball to make the world cleaner, greener, and freer. In the washing machine, it collects microfibers so that you don't have to worry about washing your favorite fleece or plush blanket. It follows your laundry into the dryer, where FibreFree gently beats clothes and increases air circulation. This makes clothing soft and reduces drying time, which saves you money!

If one in ten U.S households were to use FibreFree, we could spare the ocean of 35 million plastic bottles with of microfiber pollution annually.

Want to stay up-to-date on FibreFree?

Contribute to the cause  by filing out the form below and we'll celebrate with you as we work to bring FibreFree to washing machines near you!