UK project aiming to tackle microfibre pollution launches at NY Climate Week

Bristol-based Matter and textile manufacturer Paradise Textiles have announced a new collaborative project as part of New York Climate Week that is setting out to tackle 120,000 tonnes of microfibre pollution.

The initiative aims to bring Matter’s Regen for Textile Production, a technology that claims to stop microfibres from textile production from entering waterways, to market.

According to the two organisations, Regen reduces chemical use, prolongs the life of water reuse systems and significantly cuts operating costs, with the potential to save millions of kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity and reduce carbon emissions by thousands of tonnes annually.

The project was unveiled during Regeneration VC’s annual meeting in New York, where the two also announced the launch of Regen into a new “low impact” fabric mill in Egypt which, once operational, will serve as a showcase for the new filtration device.

In a release, Adam Root, founder and CEO of Matter, said on the news: “We are delighted to collaborate with Paradise Textiles on this groundbreaking project.

“It will show the fashion industry that a viable solution to this colossal problem of microplastic pollution is within reach. As this technology scales, there will be no reason and no excuse for letting microfibre pollution continue.”

The news comes after Matter secured 10 million dollars in a Series A funding round last year, and builds on an existing relationship between the firm and Paradise Textiles, which it has worked with before on similar fibre innovation projects.