Microfiber release during apparel manufacturing process – A greater concern than domestic laundering

Microfibers released from textile materials have recently become a pressing concern as one of the most significant anthropogenic pollutants in recent times. Although domestic laundry has been reported as a major source of microfiber release, researchers stress the potential of manufacturing stage to contribute equally. However, limited research has been conducted on the manufacturing stage. To bridge this gap, the current study aimed to analyze microfiber release from different knitted fabrics during the cutting process in the apparel manufacturing industry. Microfibers released during cutting were collected using the atmospheric deposition method both inside and outside the industry. The findings revealed that the cutting process caused an average microfiber deposition of 2.86 × 10⁶ ± 6.02 × 10⁵ microfibers per square meter of cutting floor per day. A strong linear relationship was observed between the length of the fabric been cut and microfiber deposition (r = 0.96). Regarding fabric properties, strong positive correlations (r = 0.80 to 0.99) were noted with stitch density, thickness, areal density, and yarn count, indicating that increase in these parameters led to increased microfiber emissions. Conversely, a negative correlation was reported for loop length (r = −0.79), and an insignificant correlation was found with the tightness factor (r = 0.49). The majority of the released fibers (55.84 %) measured between 300 and 800 μm in length. The results showed that fabrics with compact structures released more short microfibers than those with loose structures. The study's findings indicated that cutting a medium-sized T-shirt can release up to 1.09 × 10⁶ microfibers, which is approximately 50 times higher than that released during laundry, with 40–70 % of the fibers transported outside the factory. With this alarming quantity, future research should focus on understanding the occupational hazards of cutting operators exposed to large quantities of microfibers. Moreover, studies should focus on developing cost-effective alternative cutting methods and microfiber-capturing systems that can be implemented in the industry to control the release of microfibers into the external environment.