A new device funded by H&M Foundation uses soundwaves to separate microplastics from wastewater, which a Monday news release said would have a significant impact on the fashion industry's environmental footprint if implemented on an industrial scale.
The technology, Acousweep, was developed by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, or HKRITA, with financial support from the Foundation, the charitable arm of Stockholm-based fast fashion giant H&M Group. The device uses sweeping acoustic waves in a specially shaped chamber to physically trap and separate microplastic fibers from wastewater, without using any chemicals or solvents.
Globally, 16% to 35% of microplastics released into the ocean are from synthetic textiles, according to a 2022 report from the European Environment Agency. The majority of microplastics from textiles are released the first few times they are washed, and fast fashion accounts for high levels of these releases, the report found.
The separated microplastics are filtered into a collection tank for further treatment, which the release said may include recycling. The existing lab scale treatment system handles 20 liters of water an hour, but the development team says it can be upscaled for industrial use to treat between 5,000 to 10,000 liters an hour. Project developers said the tech is transportable and can be connected to any wastewater facility.
Acousweep is one of about 30 ongoing HKRITA research projects from the Foundation’s Planet First program, according to a Foundation spokesperson. The Foundation focuses on finding technologies to improve the sustainability of the fashion industry as a whole.
The five-year program received $12 million from the Foundation. The Hong Kong Government’s Innovation & Technology Fund gives additional money based on the Foundation’s funding – meaning if it gave more so would the Hong Kong Government. That will result in an estimated budget of $100 million over five years, according to a Foundation spokesperson.
H&M has been at the forefront of conversations over sustainability in fast fashion. It recently launched a kidswear line around recycled materials and a resale program to reduce its carbon footprint.
