September 4, 2024
(press release)
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Bristol, UK climate tech company Matter has developed a critically important capture technology to remove microfibres from washing machines for the benefit of human and environmental health This is Matter’s first consumer product to market in partnership with one of Europe’s biggest washing machine manufacturers $10 million in series A funding was secured to grow the business last year with investors including S2G Ventures, SOUNDwaves, Regeneration.VC & Katapult Matter has embarked on scaling its technology solutions with major apparel and textile partners directly into the apparel value chain with the potential to capture millions of tons of microfibre and facilitate significant carbon emission reductions. Today (4 September) British sustainable technology scale-up Matter has announced a major new partnership with one of Europe’s leading domestic washing machine manufacturers. It will see BSH, under the brands Bosch and Siemens, launch across Europe a sustainable microfibre filter for use with domestic washing machines that will address the global microplastic pollution crisis by preventing up to 97% of microfibres from being released into wastewater during every wash cycle. The Bosch filtration device will be powered by Matter’s unique patented self-cleaning technology, Regen.™, and marks the Bristol based business’ first product to market following five years of development and five patents. The company completed a successful $10 million series A funding round last year with participation from S2G Ventures, SOUNDwaves and Leonardo DiCaprio backed Consumer ClimateTech fund Regeneration.VC. The sustainable technology and innovation company also landed in the top 4% of projects on Kickstarter back in 2022 when its campaign reached over 1000 backers and raised over $150,000. Matter is now seeking further partners to bring their pioneering solutions for capturing microplastics to market across the world. Adam Root, Founder and CEO of Matter, said: The Regen.™ technology inside BSH’s filter captures microplastic particles from a wash cycle and offers the most flexible installation options on the market, with no drilling required. The filter can simply be connected to the washing machine’s wastewater hose and placed on or next to the appliance, it can even be easily retrofitted to an existing washing machine regardless of the manufacturer or age of the machine. Thanks to a self-cleaning system, which can go up to 6 weeks (20 wash cycles) without needing to be emptied*, no replacement filters are needed, so the product will last the life of the washing machine. Konrad Koloska, Product Manager at BSH said: The product launch comes at a time when awareness of the dangers of microplastic pollution to human and planetary health is increasing, with recent studies showing microplastics have been detected in everything from human heart tissue to brain cells and placentas. These findings further validate the need for legislation to tackle microplastic pollution with several significant pieces of legislation pending globally. In the US there is a microfibre bill being introduced in Congress called the Fighting Fibres Act of 2024, and whilst the EU is currently awaiting legislation, Matter is actively inputting to the corresponding test standards with the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) to control the release of micropollutants into the natural environment. As the filtration technology developed by Matter can be applied to home laundry, professional laundry and industrial settings, the team is now looking to scale up further to drive globally meaningful reductions in micropollutant emissions from many of the major sources. This includes identifying and working with launch partners in the textile apparel supply chain to begin retrofitting facilities with industrial Regen.™ technology to stop microplastic at source, and launching Matter’s first professional laundry product for use in hotels, laundrettes and other commercial settings. *Number of washing cycles that the microplastic filter can hold filtered fibres before it needs to be emptied, determined by long-term tests with a standard household load. Conversion into weeks/months is based on an assumed average European washing behavior of 183 wash cycles per year.
“We’re really excited to be partnering with BSH to launch this product and take our first step towards enabling people to tackle the global issue of microplastic pollution in their own homes.
Our core technology is founded on the conviction that filtration is the most viable, near-term solution to stop microplastic pollution from further impacting our oceans, people and planet.
Partnerships such as this are vital in helping us scale up and achieve this goal faster.
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““We are proud to introduce our revolutionary microplastic filter, designed to tackle the major issue of microplastic pollution.
By offering an external solution that can be easily equipped to any washing machine, we empower consumers to actively contribute to reducing microplastic waste without compromising on convenience.
This collaboration with Matter exemplifies our commitment to proactive and effective measures in creating a cleaner and more sustainable future.”
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