The fashion industry’s approach to microfiber pollution has long suffered from a familiar affliction: endless research, disjointed standards, rehashed debates that yield little on-the-ground change and more than a little consumer blame for how garments are laundered and maintained. On Tuesday, a coalition of activewear and outdoor heavyweights announced a plan to change that.

Convened by The Nature Conservancy, the newly formed Microfiber Action Alliance brings together brands such as Nike, Patagonia, Under Armour, Lululemon, Cotopaxi and REI Co-op to tackle microfiber runoff at the source: the supply chain. A 2021 study by the environmental nonprofit and Bain & Co. found that textile manufacturers release roughly 120,000 metric tons of synthetic fibers into the environment every year, an amount comparable to what garments later shed when consumers wash and wear them. To put it another way, for every 500 shirts manufactured, the equivalent of one is lost as microfiber pollution.

“The study we commissioned was a big ‘aha’ moment for us because it identified that about half of this pollution occurred during manufacturing, and at the time, almost all the attention had been on consumer wear and laundering,” said Patrick Jurney, plastics project director at The Nature Conservancy.

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