Posted by Alfiya Yermukasheva
20 November 2025Written by Dr Ben Parker, Research Fellow, University of Exeter
The “Amphiphilic textile fibre environmental fate and impacts” project has been funded through the Circular Fashion Programme’s Central Team (PCT). UKRI have invested additional funds which, after a competitive selection process, have been distributed to collaborations such as this.
Microfibres, small fibres < 5 mm in length with high length to width ratios, are often the most common microplastics found in the environment and biota and are commonly shed from textiles. An important reason for the persistence and accumulation of many petroleum-based (plastic) microfibres is their hydrophobic nature-the particles are repelled by water. Already, microplastics and microfibres have been shown to impact the sinking rates and formation of marine snows; accumulations of organic matter that provide important nutrients to the marine food web as they sink down towards the bottom sediments.
The project “Amphiphilic textile fibre environmental fate and impacts” aims to understand how the production of novel hydrophilic (water-attractant) from traditionally hydrophobic polymers might reduce textile environmental impacts and the ingestion of microfibres by marine organisms. The project is led by Professor Tamara Galloway (University of Exeter, Future Fibres Network+) with Professor Stephen Russel (University of Leeds and Back to baselines), Professor Xin Ning (Qingdao University, China) and collaborators at these universities. The project fits the core cross-cutting network themes of implementing design to reduce the environmental impacts of textiles.
Researchers at Qingdao University supplied the materials which are currently undergoing physical fibre testing and characterisation. The University of Exeter team are currently adding cut fibres to form the marine snows for later testing.
The project will conclude in early 2026.
