When these small particles are made of synthetic materials such as polyester, polyamide or acrylic,
they take more than 20 years to break down. Some even take 100 years or more.
These are particles that are so small that some are even smaller than 5 microns.
As seen in the graph, micro and nanoparticle release during the first few washes does not alter drastically, until a point is reached after which micro and nanoparticle release increases exponentially. In most cases, this happens without it being perceived. It is silent, invisible and inadvertent pollution.
Micro and nanoparticles:
- Are too small to be collected economically and efficiently
- Take many years to break down
- Cause invisible and long-lasting polluting
50 micron microparticles from the first wash cycle
5 micron microparticles from wash cycles 1 to 20
5 micron microparticles from wash cycles 20 to 30
