Microplastics and Textiles: Is rPET Really the Better Choice?

As a seller of rPET cleaning cloths, we could take the easy route and only mention rPET's advantages. But honest information means also showing facts that don't flatter our own product: a more recent study cited by VerbraucherService Bayern found that recycled polyester can shed around 55% more microplastic particles when washed than virgin polyester.

One possible explanation: rPET fibres tend to be shorter and somewhat structurally weaker due to the recycling process (see What is recycled PET?), which can promote fibre shedding during washing.

rPET solves a real problem (plastic waste, crude oil consumption for virgin material), but not automatically the microplastic problem – that affects synthetic fibres in general, whether virgin or recycled. Natural fibres like cotton also shed microfibres when washed, according to several sources cited here, though these break down biologically much faster than synthetic fibres.

A special wash bag for synthetic textiles can, according to several sources cited here, capture most of the fibre shedding before it reaches the wastewater. For a cleaning cloth that isn't washed in a machine but by hand (see How to clean a microfibre cloth correctly), this specific risk is already significantly lower than for regularly machine-washed clothing.