5 x you need to know about microplastics

1. Microplastics are pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters in size. Microplastics and the even smaller nanoplastics are found in oceans and rivers and ultimately in our food.

2. Microplastics are often added to products that we use every day: cosmetics, care products, cleaning and detergents. For example, microplastics are used in detergents to prevent discoloration of the laundry or a gray haze.

3. Products without microplastics can be recognized by one of the following quality marks: European Ecolabel, Demeter, Cosmos Organic, Nordic Ecolabel and Zero plastics inside.

4. Today, 64% of new clothing is made of microfibres. This makes it the most important source of microplastics in our water. The microfibres of synthetic clothing and blankets come off during washing. Just by washing textiles, up to two plastic bags with microplastic fibers per year end up in the water per household.

5. You can use a special laundry net to catch the microfibres, such as the Guppyfriend. This stops about 70%. In addition, washing machine manufacturers are working on filters.