This is great news for Cora Ball users!
As lovers of data, we are always excited to share the results of the latest Cora Ball testing. Lead-author Dr. Imogen Napper and the International Marine Litter Research Unit in the School of Biological and Marine Sciences at University of Plymouth tested the efficacy of consumer solutions to microfiber pollution, including Cora Ball. The results of the research were published in the peer-reviewed journal, Science of the Total Environment, July 2020.
Read on for the highlights!
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The Cora Ball both catches fibers in washing machine water and reduces the amount of fibers released from fabric in the wash - which can increase the life of your garments and home textiles!
- The Cora Ball is effective at reducing 31% of the microfibers that would otherwise flow out of the washing machine from an entire load of wash [This is an increase over the existing peer-reviewed study rate of 26% (McIllwraith, 2019)].
- Reducing microfiber release from clothing itself means that by using a Cora Ball, you are protecting your clothing and protecting our ocean, lakes and rivers - at the same time!
- Even if a Cora Ball is not showing fiber in the stalks, it is still working to protect the ocean and increase the life of your clothes by reducing shedding!
Minimize pollution and maximize impact:
This and other papers conclude that there are many strategies we can take advantage of to minimize the amount of microfibers shed in our washing machines. Some are simple habit changes, such as washing less often, washing with ¾ to full loads, using cold water and low spin cycle speeds where possible and using standard wash settings rather than the “delicate” cycle, which uses more water. Adding a Cora Ball into your laundry routine can further reduce the amount of microfiber pollution by an average of 31%, a dramatic reduction. Combining a Cora Ball with an after-market external filter would both reduce the amount of microfiber shed by your clothes and textiles and stop the greatest amount of microfiber from entering our public waterways. “Therefore, an effective strategy [to prevent microfiber pollution] would be using a combination of less aggressive washing cycles and adding washing machine filters/in-drum devices” (Napper et. al. 2020).
For more information about the results of this study, please get in touch. We are excited about these excellent results and about helping everyone who wears and washes clothes be part of the solution to microfiber pollution!