The Microfiber Challenge: What’s at Stake and What’s Possible

Overview

Dive into the microfiber mess—what’s hurting our planet and how we can fix it, all from your couch!

The Microfiber Challenge: What’s at Stake & What’s Possible

Microfibers are everywhere—but how much do we really understand about them?

Join us online for a deep dive into microfibers! Discover why these tiny fibers matter, their impact on our planet, and the exciting solutions shaping a cleaner future.

From the clothes we wear to the water we drink, tiny textile fibers are making their way into our environment and raising growing questions about ecological and human health. Both natural and synthetic textiles can shed fibers, yet the impacts, risks, and potential solutions are still an emerging area of research.

Join FABSCRAP for a conversation with experts working across environmental science, public health, and innovative engineering to explore the microfiber problem from multiple perspectives. We’ll discuss where microfibers come from, what accelerates their release, what we know—and don’t yet know—about their impacts, and what can be done to address the problem.

The panel will move beyond simply asking “How do we clean up microfibers?” to a larger question: **How can we prevent them from being created and released in the first place?

We’ll explore:

What are microfibers and how do natural and synthetic fibers differ?

What causes and accelerates microfiber shedding?

What do we know about the environmental impacts of microfibers?

What are we learning about potential impacts on human health?

What interventions and technologies are currently being explored?

What is the role of proactive prevention versus retroactive recovery?

Where are the biggest gaps in our knowledge—and what should happen next?

Moderator: Jo Corvus, Service Lead, FABSCRAP

Panelists:

Yoni Ronn, Founder & CEO of Moby

Megan Wolff, Executive Director, P-(SNAP)

Catherine Prunella, Water Quality Extension Specialist, New York Sea Grant

This conversation is part of FABSCRAP’s ongoing exploration of the challenges and opportunities facing the textile industry. Microfiber pollution is a complex problem that no single industry or discipline can solve alone. Come learn from experts, ask questions, and join the conversation about where we go from here.