A UK project set to tackle 120,000 tonnes of microfibre pollution and could save millions of kilowatt-hours (KWh) of electricity a year at textile manufacturing sites has launched at New York Climate Week.
Bristol based Matter and leading textile manufacturer, Paradise Textiles have announced a ground breaking collaborative project to bring Matter's Regen for Textile Production to market, a pioneering technology to stop microfibres from textile production from entering waterways.
Regen for Textile Production reduces chemical use, prolongs the life of water reuse systems and significantly cuts operating costs. Compared to current technologies, this would save millions of kilowatt-hours (KWh) of electricity and reduce carbon emissions by thousands of tonnes annually.
The global fashion industry is responsible for around 120,000 tonnes of pre-consumer microfibre emissions per year, resulting from production, dyeing and washing.
Unveiling Regen for Textile Production during Regeneration VC’s Annual Meeting in New York, Matter and Paradise Textiles launched a groundbreaking collaborative project to implement the technology at Paradise Textiles’ new low impact fabric mill in Egypt.
Once operational, it will serve as a showcase for manufacturers and brands around the world to adopt the new filtration device. The two companies say the solution could reduce microfibre pollution across all 150,000 global textile factories.
Powered by Matter’s patented self-cleaning filtration technology Regen for Textile Production is a low energy, low cost microfibre capture solution that offers effective wastewater filtration without the carbon impact.
This announcement builds on the launch of Matter’s successful microfibre filter for home laundry systems with BSH, under the brands Bosch and Siemens.
The British company raised $10 million in its Series A funding round in 2023, and is backed by investors including S2G Ventures, Soundwaves, and Regeneration VC, the climate tech fund backed by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Microfibre shedding is a major contributor to microplastic pollution in water, air, soil and food sources. Scientific studies have revealed alarming evidence that microplastics infiltrate the human body and have been linked to serious health concerns, including cardiovascular issues and chronic conditions.
Adam Root, founder and CEO of Matter, said: ‘We are delighted to collaborate with Paradise Textiles on this ground breaking 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 collaboration has been instrumental in advancing Matter’s industrial programme for textile manufacturing.
Leveraging expertise in textiles and fibre pollution mitigation, Paradise Textiles, part of the Alpine Group, collaborated closely with Matter to explore how this innovation could be adapted and scaled within textile manufacturing, setting the stage for this collaboration.
Over the last two and a half years, it has provided insights into textile processes, funded early research, and helped shape Matter's Microfibre Assessment Programme (MAP) to establish a service model and maximise fibre capture across Alpine Group’s facilities.
Lewis Shuler, head of innovation at Paradise Textiles, said: ‘At Paradise we are committed to collaborating with industry innovators and brands to make a material difference for the future of the fashion and textile industry.
‘Matter’s Microfibre filter presents us with an effective way to reduce the environmental impact of the textile and apparel manufacturing process, whilst also reducing operational costs, which is a real gamechanger for the industry.
‘We look forward to continuing to drive this exciting project forward and exploring new ways to implement sustainable technologies that can transform the industry at scale.’
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