MICROPLASTICS REDUCTION? IT’S IN THE BAG

Man-made fabrics release microplastics when washed, potentially causing pollution of the oceans. While searching for a permanent solution to the problem, Swedish outdoor company Haglöfs now offer a special washing bag that catches up to 99% of the microplastics originating from synthetic clothing.

Microplastics are tiny fragments of man-made material, found in for example car tyres, cosmetics, industrial processes, manufacture - and synthetic fibres often used in functional clothing. Driving your car or washing your clothes can release the micro plastics that in turn make their way through the water system and finally out to sea.

With this in mind, Swedish outdoor company Haglöfs has taken action on a number of levels in order to combat microplastic pollution. Firstly, products made in such a way to actively reduce the release of microplastics are constantly being developed. To help address the wider problem, the company has also signed up as a main partner of the Outdoor Industry Microfibre Consortium. This group is made up of representatives from several manufacturers who work with Leeds University in the UK and the sustainable innovation company Biov8tion as scientific partners, addressing the issue head-on.

But to make an immediate difference Haglöfs now offer a special washing bag for synthetic garments - the GuppyFriend - that catches as much as 99% of the microplastics released in the wash cycle. The bag allows the clothes to gently get clean in the washing machine and gathers stray fibres which can be collected and put directly into the plastic recycling bin.

“We all know that drastic action needs to be taken to reduce and process the staggering amounts of plastic that the sea swallows up every year. The GuppyFriend washing bag is by no means the whole solution to the problem - but it is an awesome quick-fix that helps protect the oceans from this type of plastic pollution while it gives us time to search for a permanent solution” said Eva Mullins, Sustainability Manager at Haglöfs.

More information about Haglöfs’ work with microplastics can be found here: http://bit.ly/2wnZFib and more about GuppyFriend can be found here: http://guppyfriend.com/en/

For more information please contact:

Sara Skogsberg Cuadras
Communication Manager
+46 8 584 40 014
sara.skogsberg-cuadras@haglofs.se