Room guide
Laundry & clothing
Synthetic fibres, detergents and what comes off in the wash.
Ranked by Swap Priority: the swaps with the most direct, frequent contact and the strongest evidence come first.
Start here
Laundry, microfibres and synthetic clothes
Synthetic clothes shed plastic fibres in every wash. Replace as they wear out, and wash cooler and fuller meanwhile.
2 swaps, highest priority first
01
52/100Swap Priority 52 out of 100: Worth doing
Synthetic fleece and activewear → natural fibres (as you replace)
Synthetic clothes shed microfibres in every wash. Replace them with natural fibres as they wear out — don't bin good clothes.
Worth doing · about 1.5 kg of plastic a year
02
52/100Swap Priority 52 out of 100: Worth doing
Laundry liquid bottles and pods → powder in a box
Powder in a box removes the bottle. Pods use a polymer film whose breakdown in the environment is still debated.
Worth doing · about 1.2 kg of plastic a year