BOSTON — VF Corporation, the parent company of The North Face®, Vans®, and Timberland® brands, will take steps to further address microfiber pollution from its clothes after engagement with Green Century° and As You Sow. The company has joined the “The Microfibre Consortium” at the enterprise level where it will collaborate with industry leaders to develop plans to improve testing, research, and data on microfiber pollution.
Also known as fiber shedding, microfiber pollution results from the manufacture and washing of clothes, which release tiny fiber threads. Microfiber pollution is particularly concerning for synthetic textiles, like polyester and acrylic.
Synthetic textiles produce an estimated 35% of the microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans.
“Clothes made from synthetic materials release thousands of microplastics with each wash and pollute our waterways,” said Leslie Samuelrich, President of Green Century. “Companies should tell consumers which of their products produce high amounts of microfiber pollution and reduce microfiber pollution in their supply chains.”
Textiles are the third-largest market for plastics and consume nearly 15% of total plastic production.
The Microfibre Consortium is working with policymakers, suppliers and brands to reduce the environmental impacts of Microfiber pollution. The organization is creating a rating system for textiles, which is anticipated to launch in 2025.
“We are pleased that the company has agreed to consider setting a companywide microfiber shedding reduction goal after the consortium rating system is completed,” said Conrad MacKerron, Senior Vice President, As You Sow.
Regulation on Microfiber pollution is likely to increase. An “Eco-Score” system in France will use microfiber pollution as one of the metrics for scoring clothing sustainability. One competitor, Under Armour, has already committed to transition to more “Low shed” materials by 2030.
“We encourage all clothing companies to disclose more information about which of their products are likely to shed microfibers,” said Douglass Guernsey, shareholder advocate at Green Century. “Consumers want to make informed decisions, but that isn’t possible if they don’t have access to basic information.”