The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) unveiled the next phase of the apparel industry’s campaign to reduce fibre fragmentation from clothing textiles.
The Microfibre 2030 Commitment will replace the existing membership model for The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) and commits companies to a sustained programme of collaborative and proactive cross industry work, aligned to the new Microfibre Roadmap, which has been backed by environmental non-profit agency The Nature Conservancy. The development is designed to put greater focus on the issue of fibre fragmentation and encourage all areas of the apparel industry to work together in addressing the topic.
At a special online event on Tuesday, TMC launched the Microfibre Roadmap, aligning the sector’s work to reduce fibre fragmentation, with clear goals, workstreams and timelines. The Microfibre 2030 Commitment now provides the working framework for signatories to deliver that roadmap and is the basis for TMC membership. It is designed to leverage greater impact, scale, accountability and visibility in the work towards reducing fibre fragmentation. All signatories are required to support the roadmap by taking meaningful, science-based, co-ordinated action on fibre fragmentation from natural and synthetic textiles.
In launching the Microfibre 2030 Commitment, TMC revealed that 69 organisations are already on board as signatories. They include some of the world’s biggest names across areas of the apparel industry, such as H&M, adidas, Inditex, ASDA, Primark, Next, Kering, Patagonia, Helly Hansen, Jack Wolfskin, Finisterre, Oberalp, Hohenstein and more.
In addition to an annual financial/in-kind contribution to the work of TMC, organisations are now required to carry out an agreed level of materials testing annually for the first three years, thereby contributing data to the Microfibre Data Portal, from which practical industry tools and resources will be developed in line with Microfibre Roadmap targets. Businesses will also contribute to Microfibre Roadmap targets by implementing mitigation actions in their own supply chains, as well as by acting as industry ambassadors to embed best practice across the textiles sector.
Sophie Mather, Executive Director of The Microfibre Consortium, comments: “Today marks the point where we shift gears. 10 years ago, the textile sector started to recognise microfibre pollution as a topic of concern, and we acknowledge the phenomenal progress that has been made since then, and the stakeholders that have unflinchingly given their support to our work in recent years. Now, with the launch of the Microfibre 2030 Commitment and Roadmap, we enter a new stage of global alignment. We call on the wider industry to join our transparent and collaborative platform, which brings together the expertise, data and focus needed now to achieve impact at the necessary scale and pace.”
Companies that would like to join TMC and sign the commitment, should contact 2030@microfibreconsortium.com.
The full list of TMC signatories to the Microfibre 2030 Commitment is listed here.
