Today, three quarters of the clothing we wear is made from synthetic fibers, which unfortunately have changed the diet of our marine life! When we so innocently place our dirty laundry into our washing machines, tiny synthetic fabric fibers (1mm to 7 mm in size) pass through the filtering systems of our washing machines and even our sewerage treatment plants, reaching our rivers, lakes and oceans. It is estimated that there are at least five trillion plastic pieces on the surface of the oceans with eight million tonnes of plastics leaking into the ocean every day. Professor Mark Browne from the University of New South Wales discovered that marine plastic debris sourced from microfibers was six times greater than the plastic from other sources, like bottles, bags and wrappers. The pollution is even worse near urban areas. It has increased by over 450% since the 1960s. Besides, plastic is like a sponge that attracts other chemicals (copper, lead, cadmium and nickel, etc.), which cause great damage to the environment due to toxic overload and their accumulation in the marine food chain.

The goal of this petition is that the European Union increases investment in research so as to create materials with plastic properties produced from renewable biomass sources, and fully degradable (bioplastics), which will be used to manufacture new textiles that will not release synthetic microfibers.

Together we can help raise awareness and MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!! The ultimate power lies within each one of us!!