Marevivo and the Costume & Fashion Academy of Rome have banded together to fight the half a million tons of microfibers – amount corresponding to 50 billion plastic bottles – which clothes dump into theoceano. Marevivo has been fighting to defend the sea and its resources for over thirty years.
The theme of the pollution of the seas caused by microfibres was at the center of the meeting "#StopMicrofibre – An alliance for a competitive and sustainable textile industry“. It involves the textile industry such as that of washing machines and ultimately also designers and stylists for their own choices which, without neglecting the beauty of the fabrics, also reward their sustainability. The Costume & Fashion Academy of Rome, has in time banned single-use plastic by the Institute to make students aware of environmental and marine ecology issues.
To understand how urgent the problem is, some data that perhaps not everyone knows is enough: a load in synthetic laundry machine, produces millions of microfibers smaller than 5 millimeters that pour into the sea where they come from ingested by marine organismsthus entering the food chain. This is because 40% of microfibres are not retained by treatment plants.
What to do to curb the macro dimensions of this phenomenon? Linen could be a solution: it is the fmost sustainable and ancient textile iber in the world. Plus, it has DNA ecological and natural: zero water pollution and no defoliant or pesticide released into the environment and zero liters of water used during its cultivation. The plantations every year they absorb 250.000 tons of CO2 and the energy used to produce it is by 4 10% to% of what would be necessary for the production of synthetic fibers.
“We are facing a new, real industrial revolution that plays on the circular economy – he declared Wolf Lanzara, Vice President of the Costume & Fashion Academy – . An evolution that requires us to change the way we produce and consume. It is a stimulating challenge that we have accepted with enthusiasm because we, who work in education, must always look to the future and we have the ambitious task and duty to train new creatives and new management classes."
The clothing labeling can he save the world? In New York State, a bill is under discussion that makes food labeling mandatory garments containing synthetic fibers. The label will have to be clearly visible and must contain the information for a correct washing with the aim of minimizing the release of microfibers. In Italy, meanwhile, we are still far from a definitive solution, but a similar bill is being worked on.
Finance is moving too. Banor Capital, an independent management company, has taken the field with Marevivo against plastic pollution. In choosing the investment, he carries out a very in-depth analysis which starts from the study of numbers and financial statements, continues with meetings with the management and finally with the field verification of the activity and sustainability of the companies.
“We want to make textile industry companies aware of the need to invest in research and innovation in more sustainable fabrics with less release, and washing machine manufacturers to develop more effective filtration systems, counter the problem of 'fast fashion' and make it compulsory the labeling of garments containing more than 50% synthetic fibres,” he said Raffaella Giugni, Head of institutional relations of Marevivo.
