The eco-conscious clothing company Patagonia is hoping to extend their reach beyond the clothing rack and into the laundry room. Partnering with Samsung, the two companies are releasing a new clothes washing machine, one that is highly efficient, and also captures the micro-plastic that is shed during washing cycles.
Materials like fleece and other plastic-derived clothing shed particles while in washing machines, and that plastic waste eventually makes it into our rivers and oceans.
Over a year of R&D went into the new washing machine and its filter, which reduces micro plastic emissions by 54%.
Going on sale in 2023, Samsung eventually wants to offer the standalone filter as a retrofit to existing washing machines.
It’s a great first step towards reducing the amount of micro plastics in our natural environment.
See more on Samsung’s website.
“While reducing the impact of devices and homes is vital to creating a sustainable future, other clear and present risks to the environment demand our attention. For over a year, Samsung and Patagonia have been working together to address the challenge of microplastics shedding during the laundry process and polluting oceans and other bodies of water.
Samsung’s new Less Microfiber Cycle and Filter are the products of that collaboration. A breakthrough in the fight against microplastics, the Less Microfiber Cycle cuts microplastic emissions by up to 54%.”
The machine’s filter reduces microfiber/microplastic leaking into the environment.
The partnership was announced at CES 2023.
Microplastics are a major issue in our rivers and oceans.
The Korean team behind the innovative design.
