Microplastics are everywhere — quite literally, as study after study shows. And while we can’t do much about the tiny, toxic particles already in our oceans, waterways, and bodies, we can try to slow the release of new ones. Matter is a startup attempting to do so (with a shiny new $10 million) using a new type of reusable filter that catches microfibers before they can reach the sea and disintegrate.
Synthetic (i.e. plastic) clothing materials like polyester shed countless pieces when they are made, worn, washed, and discarded. Durable, toxic, and omnipresent, these microscopic polymer scraps are taken in by filter-feeding creatures and then work their way up the food chain, causing b …
