Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced the launch of the new Less Microfiber™ Filter, an external washing machine filter designed to significantly reduce plastic microfiber emissions during laundry cycles. Designed with inspiration from apparel maker Patagonia and expertise from the global ocean conservation organisation Ocean Wise, the filter builds on the success of last year’s Less Microfiber™ Cycle to substantially cut microplastics and enable sustainable laundry washing that is both effective and effortless. The new filter is now available in Korea and the U.K., and will roll out to other countries in the third quarter.



“With microplastics emissions to our oceans continuing to increase and regulations being strengthened in many countries, as well as microplastics becoming a growing health concern for people everywhere, Samsung worked with Ocean Wise and Patagonia to engineer technology to help prevent the release of microplastics from our daily life,” said Moohyung Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Team of Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics. “With innovations like the Less Microfiber™ Filter and Cycle, Samsung is helping to enable Everyday Sustainability in a wider array of products and making eco-conscious daily practices second nature in the home.”Samsung’s proprietary Ecobubble™ technology. By using bubbles to help dissolve and absorb detergent, less heat and energy is required to wash clothes, resulting in reduced abrasion.



The Less Microfiber™ Filter takes this a step further, preventing up to 98%[2] of microplastics released during laundry from escaping into the ocean if used as specified, equivalent to eight 500ml plastic bottles per year[3] when used four times a week. In addition, to help more customers get involved in cutting microplastic emissions, the Less Microfiber™ Filter has a mountable design style that allows it to be used with standard washing machine models, demonstrating the company’s dedication to long-term sustainability and helping customers move towards embrace sustainability at home. To verify the technology’s efficacy and its features, both Cycle and the Filter were independently evaluated by Ocean Wise using a peer-reviewed microfiber shedding test protocol at the marine organisation’s state-of-the-art lab in Vancouver, Canada.