STOP! Micro Waste – The Guppyfriend

Every time we wash our clothes tiny fibers break off from the material they’re made of and this is where the problem begins. Waste water treatment plants can’t filter these tiny fibers efficiently and so they will find their way into our streams, rivers and oceans. But not all micro fibers pose a threat: natural fibers will quickly degrade whereas fibers from synthetic materials such as Acrylic, Nylon or Polyester might take hundreds of years before they are broken down. The tiny fibers that end up in the water concentrate pervasive bacteria and pollutants and are consumed by aquatic organisms, which can result in gastrointestinal infections and blockages, reproductive problems, and starvation – problems that ultimately work their way up the food chain. Microfibers are now the most abundant form of plastic pollution in our oceans but what can a single person do?

Many people possess outdoor or sports clothes made purely from synthetic materials or have bought clothes from recycled materials in good conscious that there was no problem with this. Throwing away all these clothes might not be sustainable after all, let alone when you think about the amount of water and pesticides that are used in the cotton industry.

The Guppyfriend was developed to offer a pragmatic yet effective measure to put a stop to the microfibers pollution and to raise awareness for the problematic. Pop your clothes into the bag that contain synthetic materials and simply wash with your other clothes. The Guppyfriend will catch all the microfibers that break off during the washing cycle (tested by the German Textile Institute). Also, the Guppyfriend will protect the clothes inside the bag and they will lose on average about 80% less fibers in the first place (test series by the Fraunhofer Institute). The fibers that do break off will then collect in the top corners of the bag from where they can be removed.

For the future STOP! Micro Waste is trying to get washing machine manufactures on board to implement efficient filter systems, but it will probably take years until the market is ready for it. However we need to act. NOW!

Reduces the amount of microfibres that enter waterways through your laundry washes
Protects and extends the lifetime of your synthetic garments
Tested by renowned scientific institutes – such as the German Textile Research Institute and the University of California
Fully recyclable