How to avoid microplastics when washing ski clothing

After a long day on the slopes, your ski jacket goes into the washing machine, a process most of us barely think about. Yet many people are unaware of what happens next: every wash loosens thousands of tiny plastic fibres from synthetic performance clothing. They are too small to be fully filtered out by wastewater treatment plants. These microfibres end up in rivers, lakes, seas and farmland, eventually returning to us through the food chain.

The problem has now reached a worrying scale: around 35% of microplastics in the oceans come not from plastic bags or packaging, but from our clothing. More specifically, they come from washing synthetic textiles. Your fleece jacket, ski trousers and mid layer are all largely made from polyester, polyamide or acrylic, and shed fibres with every wash.

The figures are sobering. Pure polyester releases around 496,000 fibres into wastewater per wash, while acrylic releases as many as 730,000. Fleece jackets, a staple of ski clothing, are particularly problematic: a new fleece jacket can release up to two grams of microfibres in a single wash, equivalent to more than one million individual fibres.

In Germany alone, washing released a total of 300 tonnes of microplastics into wastewater in 2018. Even modern wastewater treatment plants filter out more than 95%, but the problem is merely shifted: 70% of the filtered sewage sludge is incinerated, releasing emissions into the air, while 30% is used as fertiliser in agriculture, where it accumulates in soils. The unfiltered 5% enters rivers and seas directly.

The biggest surprise from the research concerns the gentle wash programme. Contrary to the expectation that gentler washing causes less fibre abrasion, studies by the University of Plymouth show the opposite: gentle cycles release up to 800,000 additional microfibres per wash cycle – nine times the normal amount.

The reason is water consumption. The gentle cycle uses significantly more water, which washes more fibres out of the material. The gentle drum movement cannot compensate for this effect.

How full the washing machine is makes a crucial difference. Studies show: a low load releases five times more microplastics than a full machine. This is because, with less laundry, the ratio of water to textile weight is less favourable and the garments can move around the drum more freely, creating greater mechanical friction.

High temperatures weaken synthetic fibres and cause them to break sooner. 30°C is optimal, while 40°C is still acceptable. The spin speed should be low or omitted altogether. As synthetic materials air-dry quickly anyway, you can also skip the tumble dryer, which causes additional fibre shedding.

Fabric softener should generally be avoided for technical clothing. Studies show that it causes more fibres to come loose and also impairs the functional properties of the membrane. When choosing detergent, liquid detergent is better than powder, as powder contains abrasive particles and bleach that cause greater fibre abrasion.

Special laundry bags for functional clothing are the most effective measure you can put into practice straight away. High-quality, fine-mesh bags made from durable material do not release microfibres themselves and reduce fibre shedding from fully synthetic clothing by an average of 86%.

The effect is based on two mechanisms: first, friction in the washing machine is reduced because the clothing is kept together inside the bag. Second, broken fibres are retained by the fine-mesh material and do not enter the wastewater. After washing, the captured fibres collect in the corners of the bag and can simply be removed and disposed of with household waste.

Not all garments belong together in the washing machine. Hard textiles such as jeans, running shoes or hardshell jackets and trousers with zips should not be washed together with soft ski clothing, as the friction they create also leads to significantly greater fibre shedding. It is best to wash your fleece midlayers and functional underwear together with other soft textiles.

The most effective way to reduce microplastics is simple: wash less often. Synthetic ski clothing does not need to go in the machine after every wear. Thorough airing is often enough, ideally overnight in the fresh air. Small stains can be washed out by hand without putting the whole jacket straight into the machine.

For a typical ski season, this means two to three washes per season are perfectly sufficient. It also extends the life of your clothing and helps the membrane retain its performance properties for longer.

When making future purchases, it is worth looking at alternative materials. Especially for base layers and midlayers, merino wool offers many properties that matter for skiing: it regulates temperature, absorbs moisture and develops hardly any odour even after several days. The key environmental benefit: merino wool does not shed microfibres and needs washing far less often.

Semi-synthetic fibres such as Tencel (lyocell) are also biodegradable and have a better environmental profile than conventional synthetic fibres.

The industry is continuously developing solutions at the source. Researchers at the University of Bonn have developed a filter inspired by fish gills that removes over 99% of microfibres from wastewater without clogging. Other approaches use vortex filtration, which captures over 90% of particles and can be integrated into existing washing machines.

There is regulatory progress too: since 2025, France has required new washing machines to be fitted with microfibre filters. Australia is planning similar regulations by 2030. Until these solutions are widely available, however, the responsibility lies with us as consumers. But there is hope: the measures described here can already make a real difference today.

New washing-machine filter technologies are coming, eventually. But you do not need to wait. These simple tips can immediately reduce your personal microplastic release by up to 90%. Seas and soils stay cleaner, your ski clothing lasts longer and your wallet will thank you too: a win-win all round.