Samsung launched Less Microfiber™, an external washing machine filter created to reduce plastic microfiber emissions during laundry cycles. Designed in synergy with Patagonia and Ocean Wise, the filter builds on the success of last year’s Less Microfiber™ Cycle. This reduces microplastic shedding by 54% in part by leveraging Samsung’s proprietary Ecobubble™ technology. By using bubbles to help dissolve and absorb detergent, less heat and energy are required to wash clothes, resulting in reduced abrasion which in turn prevents microplastic emissions. The Less Microfiber™ filter takes this a step further, preventing up to 98% of microplastics released during laundry from escaping into the ocean, equivalent to eight 500 ml plastic bottles per year when used four times a week. In addition, to help more customers get involved in cutting microplastic emissions, the Less Microfiber™ filter has a design that allows it to be used with standard washing machine models. The product is made using recycled plastics and was designed to be long-lasting and easy to maintain. Its blades capture the microplastics with a 65-70 micrometer wide mesh, then redirect and compress these microplastics to one side, meaning the filter only needs to be cleaned roughly once a month. By connecting with Samsung’s intelligent connectivity platform SmartThings, the filter tracks how full it is from 0 to 100%, alerting users when cleaning or other troubleshooting is required via the SmartThings app. The Less Microfiber™ Cycle, meanwhile, is available as a preset option on select Samsung washing machines from 2022 and can be activated with just the press of a button. It will be expanded to users of previous Wi-Fi enabled Samsung washing machine models through an over the network update this year. The new filter is now available in Korea and the U.K. and will roll out to other countries in the third quarter of 2023.
