Behind the Break
In early 2024, Fashion for Good and The Microfibre Consortium joined forces on “Behind the Break: Exploring Fibre Fragmentation”, a collaborative project designed to advance the industry’s understanding of fibre fragmentation. Although fibre fragmentation is an issue that spans multiple industries, this project specifically focuses on the textile and fashion value chain, aligning with the missions of Fashion for Good and its partners to drive systemic change towards a more sustainable industry.
Introduction
Phase 1: The development of a comprehensive report offering an overview of where the fashion and textile industry currently stands on the topic of fibre fragmentation. The report highlights recent developments, critical insights, and emerging opportunities for collective action across seven key pillars: Definition, Sources and Pathways, Root Causes, Test Methods, Solution Portfolio, Biodegradability and Toxicity, and Regulation.
Phase 2: A landmark study examining the differences and use cases of established test methods that measure fibre shedding via simulated washing, while advancing understanding of the root causes of fragmentation across three fabric archetypes via a controlled design of experiment.
What's the challenge?
Fibre fragment pollution poses a significant threat to ecosystems and human health, requiring interventions across the entire value chain to reduce their release into the environment. Two key areas with knowledge gaps and uncertainties—preventing informed action—were targeted:
Test Methods From an industry perspective, the main goal is to produce textiles with a lower propensity to shed, informed by root cause understanding derived through fabric-to-fabric comparisons. A variety of test methods are currently employed to assess fibre loss, primarily via simulated washing. Nonetheless, there is a lack of clarity with regards to the differences between these methods, their best use cases, and the consistency of the data they generate. Additionally, there are concerns that contaminants within a sample may contribute to the measured fibre loss, potentially skewing results and leading to inconsistent conclusions.
Root Causes The textile itself is the ultimate source of fibre fragments. Understanding why certain fabrics shed more than others (often referred to as the root cause) is therefore critical for developing effective interventions within textile design and manufacturing. Despite ongoing research, significant knowledge gaps remain, limiting the ability to draw conclusions and address the issue at the source.
Executive Summary
The ‘Behind the Break: Exploring Fibre Fragmentation’ project is a collaborative initiative aimed at reducing uncertainty around test methods and addressing knowledge gaps on root causes, to enable informed action on fibre fragment pollution.”
The project addressed the lack of clarity around test methods by identifying the differences and best use cases of each method, assessing data variability between labs and tests, evaluating whether existing methods should be complemented with advanced techniques, and determining the level of contamination within a sample. Building on the TMC’s Microfibre Data Portal, which houses data on finished fabrics to better understand root causes, the study also identified key variables representing knowledge gaps or high-risk factors in existing datasets and isolated these variables across three fabric archetypes using a controlled design of experiments (DoE).
Goals of the Project
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Advance research on root causes by confirming or challenging existing academic findings on the root causes of fibre fragmentations across three fabric archetypes.
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Strengthen data correlation by comparing results across methods and laboratories to identify discrepancies in the data and trends.
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Evaluate existing test methods to identify their differences, limitations, and most suitable use cases for enabling consistent and comparable data collection.
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Inform future policy and regulation with data-driven insights on fibre fragmentation.
Key Findings
- All test methods can serve different purposes depending on accessibility, protocol, and data output. Gravimetric methods provide the most granular insights into fibre fragmentation and are best suited for identifying root causes during fabric development. DIN SPEC 19292, which visually grades shedding from 1 to 5, is more accessible and better suited for routine quality control. Advanced characterisation techniques enable detailed analysis of fibre type, shape, size, and contamination, and are best suited for academic studies.
- Overall trends and whether fabrics were classified as low, medium, or high shedders were consistent across labs and methods, meaning reliable conclusions can be drawn from large datasets when making fabric-to-fabric comparisons.
- Contamination was negligible and did not affect shedding classifications, even under worst-case assumptions.
- Directional insights into the influence of selected variables were observed (e.g. dyeing method having a significant influence on shedding, particularly water jet dyeing). However, a larger and more diverse sample pool is needed for conclusive findings, highlighting the complexity of defining recommendations for more responsible textile design and manufacturing.
Call to Action: Next Steps
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Lab-to-lab data variability should be quantified through exploring improved sample-preparation protocols and/or the introduction of a standard reference fabric. If the level of variability is significantly reduced then it should be considered within current protocols.
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Denim remains largely under explored within the field of fibre fragmentation. Its unique manufacturing process raises questions as to whether the high shedding observed across the study’s samples is intrinsic to denim or influenced by methodological limitations. This indicates the need for a dedicated work stream with tailored protocols and a broader range of fabric constructions.
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Recognising that significant knowledge gaps remain, the partner group has adopted a research-led approach before innovations aimed at reducing shedding can be robustly validated. There is currently no established validation framework or baseline, and fibre fragmentation is not yet integrated into Life Cycle Assessment.
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Expanding the dataset and testing a wider range of variables will strengthen understanding on root causes to fibre shedding, capture relationships between variables across fabric types, and support the development of clearer guidelines for design and supply chain teams.
Timeline
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2024 Q1
Landmark Study Scoping Kick-off
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2024 Q4
8-Part Workshop Series
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2024 Q4
Landmark Study Kick-off
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2025 Q1
Launch of Comprehensive Report
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2025 Q4
Landmark Study End
Innovation Partners
Project Partners
Implementation Partners
Relevant Resources
What are microfibres and microplastics in fashion?
In Conversation with NFW: Creating biomaterials that support plastic-free design
Pilot Project to Tackle Plastic Polybag Waste in Fashion Industry
Recycling company First Mile has partnered with global sustainable fashion innovation platform Fashion for Good on a new pilot scheme that aims to tackle the issue of plastic polybag waste in the fashion industry.
Can we recycle polyester?
In Conversation with CuRe Technology: How Can We Create a Fully Circular Polyester Chain?
FAQs
What is fibre fragmentation and why is it important in the textile industry?
Fibre fragmentation is the process of fibre loss from a textile product during its life cycle and / or through its subsequent breakage in the natural environment. Understanding fibre fragmentation is important for the fashion and textile industry because fibre loss occurs at multiple stages of a textile’s life cycle, and once released, fibre fragments can move within and between different environmental compartments. They have now been detected in almost every ecosystem on Earth — including marine and freshwater environments, terrestrial habitats, air, biota, and even within human bodies.
How was the 'Behind the Break' fibre fragmentation project designed, and why is it considered a landmark study?
The project is considered a landmark study because it brought together more than ten brand, manufacturing, and research partners to generate foundational insights that can guide future work on fibre fragmentation. It was carried out in two phases; Phase 1: An 8-part workshop series with leading experts to inform a comprehensive report on the current state of fibre fragmentation across seven key pillars (including test methods, solution portfolios, toxicity, and regulation); Phase 2: An experimental study comparing existing test methods and assessing the root causes of fibre loss across three fabric archetypes using a controlled design of experiments.
What did the 'Behind the Break' project reveal about test methods for measuring fibre shedding?
The study tested a range of existing methods for assessing fibre loss into water, including gravimetric, visual, and fibre characterisation techniques, to enable comparisons. It showed that each method can serve valuable and distinct purposes depending on accessibility, the protocols used, and the level of data granularity required by the user. The study also found that overall trends were consistent across methods, meaning reliable conclusions can be drawn when comparing fabrics, and that contamination within samples was minimal.
What did the 'Behind the Break' project reveal about the causes of fibre shedding in the three fabric archetypes that were tested in the study?
For each fabric archetype, two to three variables were selected and tested in isolation. The results provided directional insights into how each variable affects fibre loss into water. For example, in both Cotton Knit and Polyester Knit samples, the dyeing method had a significant impact on shedding, particularly when Water Jet dyeing was used. However, the study also highlighted that a larger and more diverse sample set is needed to draw conclusive findings and fully understand how variables interact across fabric types. This underscores the complexity of providing clear recommendations for design and supply chain teams to reduce fibre shedding.
What are the future implications of the 'Behind the Break' project for reducing fibre fragmentation in the fashion and textile industry?
- Provided a clearer mapping of the industry’s current position on fibre fragmentation across multiple pillars, offering recommendations for future research and collaboration.
- Clarified differences between existing test methods, supporting users in selecting the most appropriate methods based on the testing purpose and data required.
- Increased confidence in the approach and data collected in existing databases, such as the Microfibre Data Portal, currently used to identify the root causes of fibre shedding.
- Generated insights that the industry can use to begin integrating fibre fragmentation considerations into future design and manufacturing guidelines, supply chain decision-making, and broader sustainability strategies.
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Blueprints
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