ZDHC & TMC to address microfibres within the wastewater

The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) and the ZDHC Foundation (ZDHC) have announced the next step of a significant endeavor to address microfibres in textile industry effluent. TMC is a research-led sustainable textiles NGO dedicated to bringing the global textiles industry together through the Microfiber 2030 pledge and plan.

Following TMC’s release of ‘Control of Microfibres in Wastewater’ manufacturing guidelines, the two organizations will now collaborate closely during a new phase of the project, combining ZDHC’s expertise in sustainable chemical management with TMC’s science-led fibre fragmentation (previously known as microfibre release) knowledge, according to ZDHC.

The preliminary guidelines in the document identify an approach that can be taken throughout the industry to best support change within manufacturing, and are designed to help companies and supply chains better control microfibres in wastewater during textile manufacturing, which includes apparel and footwear products.

Following on from the first part of this project, which attempted to identify and landscape current technologies throughout the sector, the next phase will concentrate on measurement and baselines so that progress can be monitored efficiently and openly. A specialized task team from ZDHC and TMC will work on three critical areas to help with this. It entails developing a test technique for identifying internationally available test methods for measuring fiber loss in waste water at the production level. The next step is to establish a microfibre loss baseline from production plants. Finally, they will strive to create a reporting structure that captures the measurement and management of microfibres from manufacturing facilities, using a standardised data infrastructure.

The work will be organized into three interrelated workstreams that will rely on the capabilities of both organizations and capitalize on the unique knowledge that will be gained as a consequence. According to ZDHC, businesses and other textile industry stakeholders are being encouraged to both adopt the manufacturing guidelines captured in ‘Control of Microfibres in Wastewater’ and contribute to the project’s next phase, adding to the collective knowledge base that is being drawn on to address the issue.

Frank Michel, executive director of the ZDHC Foundation, said in a statement, said that the partnership between TMC and ZDHC is an excellent example of how two organizations may work together to create a competence center centered on fiber shedding. This will utilize each other’s experience and infrastructure.

Sophie Mather, executive director of TMC, said that they’re trying to maximize progress without requiring a lot of money or difficult changes in the textile industry. This new phase of collaboration with ZDHC and their combined networks provides unique value in the power of the two organizations while using existing production processes. They must be able to monitor consistently from one facility to the next in order to manage loss and, ultimately, effect. He issue a rallying cry to industry at all levels, synthetic and natural fibers, high fashion to outdoor, to coordinate and encourage production facilities to support their effort.