Nike, Patagonia and Lululemon join a new alliance against microfibre pollution

The environmental non-profit The Nature Conservancy has launched a new industry coalition, the Microfiber Action Alliance, to tackle microfibre pollution from textile production, The Business of Fashion reported on 9 October.

Who is in

Founding members are Nike, Patagonia, Lululemon, REI Co-op, Under Armour and Cotopaxi. The alliance is open to more companies.

What it will do

Microfibres are tiny fibres shed by fabrics — especially synthetics — during manufacturing, washing and wear; they end up in rivers, oceans and soil. The alliance says it wants to move beyond research to practical action. Building on the work of The Microfibre Consortium, members will identify and test solutions in their own supply chains and share the findings with the wider industry to encourage adoption.

The caveat

So far the group has not announced specific reduction targets or implementation timelines, so its impact will depend on what members actually change at their mills and suppliers.