Direct atmospheric emissions of polyester microfibres from clothing

The rapid growth of the fast fashion industry over recent decades has led to a significant increase in global textile fibre production, with polyester becoming the dominant component. Concurrently, clothing is recognised as the predominant source of atmospheric polyester microfibres. The process of mechanical friction occurring during everyday outdoor human activities, e.g. walking, results in continuous polyester microfibre shedding into the air. Although this has significant consequences for both the environment and human health, the direct atmospheric emissions of polyester microfibres from clothing during everyday use have largely been overlooked.
This study aims at assessing the role of direct emission from the population and testing if it is the primary driver of airborne polyerster microfibers. For this, backward simulations with the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART v11 (Bakels et al., 2024) are being conducted for a range of measurement sites located across Europe, with a focus on both urban and rural regions to investigate source-receptor relationships. To obtain the source contribution, emission sensitivities are coupled with gridded population density data to determine spatial emission patterns and to evaluate their consistency with reported airborne and deposited polyester microfibre observations. Forward simulations are utilised for sensitivity studies, in which polyester microfibre size distributions, aspect ratios, and emission factors are systematically varied to assess their influence on aerodynamic behaviour and atmospheric transport. The applied modelling framework enables the investigation of links between everyday clothing use and atmospheric polyester microfibre burdens.