Merkley Introduces Legislation to Curb Plastic Microfiber Pollution from Laundry

Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today introduced the Fighting Fibers Act of 2024 to address microfiber pollution from clothing. Scientists estimate millions of tons of microfibers enter the ocean every year-making textiles the largest known source of marine microplastic pollution. The Fighting Fibers Act focuses on one of the most significant sources of this pollution: our laundry.

"We know microplastics negatively affect human health and our environment. However, many people do not know that clothes are major contributors to our global plastic pollution crisis," said Merkley. "My Fighting Fibers Act is a simple fix to help consumers mitigate the environmental impacts of the clothes that most of us wear, creating a healthier planet and future."

The Fighting Fibers Act has two main components:

• Ensuring washing machines include microfiber filtration, and
• Requiring future research on the impact of microfibers.

Merkley, in his role as the Chair of the Environment and Public Works subcommittee overseeing environmental justice and chemical safety, held a first-of-its-kind series of hearings investigating plastic production and pollution. His hearings have examined: environmental and climate damage from plastics, impacts of plastics on environmental justice communities, reuse and refill systems, beverage container waste, and consumer challenges to recycling. He also leads the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, the most comprehensive plan ever introduced in Congress to address the plastic pollution crisis that is poisoning our air, water, and land and disproportionately impacting communities of color and low-income Americans.

The full text of the Fighting Fibers Act can be found by clicking here. The Fighting Fibers Act is supported by Ocean Conservancy and The 5 Gyres Institute.

"Microfibers are the most common type of microplastic pollution in our ocean and environment - they've been found in drinking water, produce, meats, and even in our own bodies. While solutions are needed across the full lifecycle of synthetic textiles to eliminate microfiber pollution, the scale and urgency of this crisis demands immediate action. Washing machine microfiber filters are a near-term, cost-effective solution to address this crisis and we applaud Senator Merkley for championing the Fighting Fibers Act of 2024 to protect our ocean and our communities from dangerous microplastics," said Dr. Anja Brandon, Associate Director, U.S. Plastics Policy, Ocean Conservancy.

"The 5 Gyres Institute commends Senator Merkley's commitment to reducing plastic pollution. The plastics crisis is getting worse by the day, and we need solutions that can be implemented now. The Fighting Fibers Act of 2024 addresses a specific sector - textiles - and offers a targeted solution that can make a big difference," said Paulita Bennett-Martin, Senior Federal Policy Lead & Programs Strategist at The 5 Gyres Institute.

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