In the age of synthetic fabrics, 60% of our garments are made of oil-based fabrics which release microfibers when they’re washed. These microfibers make their way into our water systems, fish populations, and even our own bodies. Rethinking our shopping habits is one way to cut down on these pollutants, but home appliance company Arçelik is also launching washing machines with built-in filtration systems to capture these microfibers. 

The company is a major appliance distributor in 146 countries and has experimented with other green appliance options such as a biodegradable fridge. This innovative system can capture 90% of the one million microfibers released per a load of laundry which is big news for the health of our waterways. The company says it will also not pursue intellectual property rights for the technology so microfiber capture systems will hopefully be commonplace in homes and laundromats around the world.