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Glimpact philosophy
The release of fiber fragments, generally associated with the production, use, and end-of-life stages of apparel and footwear products, is a source of pollution in aquatic environments. During garment washing, fiber fragments are released and may end up in rivers and oceans. In the textile sector, assessing the environmental impact of microfibers has become essential to limit their spread and, where appropriate, guide sustainable design strategies.
Although scientific research is still ongoing to better understand and model the effects of these fragments across all environmental compartments, a first estimation of their impact — particularly those released during product care — on marine fauna and sediments can now be made.
In this context, the PEFCR Apparel and Footwear has introduced an initial impact indicator related to microfibers in the form of a complementary indicator, in addition to the PEF score.
This indicator is based on early findings from the MarILCA project.
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In general, genuine leather or real fur items are not subject to operations such as washing, drying, ironing, or steaming. Therefore, they are not concerned by the release of fiber fragments related to these processes.
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To ensure consistency with other characterized results of a PEF study, the impact of fiber fragments must be expressed per use.
The PEF report must include the following elements:
The following statement must be added alongside the results:
This fibre fragment impact embeds a high uncertainty due to the developing nature of the underlying scientific assessment methodology but reflects the best practice and the currently most up to date scientific knowledge on the matter.
It is recommended the approach is updated as soon as more information is available to: • Cover the entire lifecycle of apparel and footwear products, including production of raw materials, and shedding during use (wear) and end-of-life. • Include the impact of fibre fragments on the entire marine compartment, as well as on any other relevant environmental compartment such as freshwater, air and land.
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Please note, however, that due to the level of uncertainty associated with this method, it must not be used to support specific claims regarding fiber fragments.
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