Krystle Moody Wood and Carolynn Box were selected by the Environmental Protection' Agency’s Trash Free Waters Program and NOAA’s Marine Debris Program to author the Save Our Seas Act 2.0: Report on Microfiber Pollution for the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee (IMDCC).
The Report on Microfiber Pollution includes:
(1) a definition of microfiber;
(2) an assessment of the sources, prevalence, and causes of microfiber pollution;
(3) a recommendation for a standardized methodology to measure and estimate the prevalence of microfiber pollution;
(4) recommendations for reducing microfiber pollution; and
(5) a plan for how Federal agencies, in partnership with other stakeholders, can lead on opportunities to reduce microfiber pollution during the 5-year period beginning on such date of enactment.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
On July 1, 2021, we submitted the first full draft of a Report on Microfiber Pollution to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be reviewed by the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee and to fulfill the Save Our Seas Act 2.0 requirement.
As part of the development of the report, we brought together an expert advisory committee of ten science, government agency, and textile industry leaders to ensure that all current and priority science was included in the report. A few of these advisors also contributed as co-authors.
With almost 400 scientific citations and 100+ pages, we are confident we have developed the most comprehensive report on microfiber pollution and solutions today!
In January 2022, once the IMDCC reviewed and commented on the draft, we kicked off the development of a recommended 5 Year Federal Plan to be included in this report. To develop this 5 Year Plan, we curated and co-hosted a two-part workshop series with over 30 Federal representatives to confirm key goals, objectives and actions for specific federal agencies to prevent and reduce microfiber pollution.
In October 2022, NOAA Marine Debris Foundation published a Federal Register Notice to solicit public comments on the draft. Materevolve served as the reviewer of all public comments and incorporated recommendations into the final draft for IMDCC Review along with colleagues at EPA Trash Free Waters Program and NOAA Marine Debris Program.
In July 2024, the SOS 2.0 Report on Microfiber Pollution was officially submitted to Congress by the IMDCC and is now available for public viewing here.
Support for the workshop series and public comment review process was provided by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation in partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program.
Collaborator Testimonials
“"I always enjoy collaborating with Materevolve because I can be certain that the work produced will be thorough, impactful and highly considerate of a diversity of opinions and sectors. Working with Materevolve is not only an opportunity to make real change in improving fiber sustainability, but an opportunity for growth and expansion of networks and ideas. Materevolve's focus on learning and bringing people together from sectors that would not typically interact - such as fashion designers, microplastics pollution scientists, government officials, and organic farmers - allows for unique opportunities to rethink sustainability issues through open and collaborative dialogues. When working on the SOS 2.0 Report on Microfibers, I was in awe of the rate Materevolve was able to coordinate our team and generate such a high-quality, thorough report! ”
— Scott Coffin, Ph.D. Ecotoxicologist & Plastic Pollution Expert
““Anyone working with Krystle and Carolyn will greatly benefit from their excellent facilitation skills, professionalism and deep knowledge withing the textile sustainability and microplastic pollution fields. I was particularly impressed with their leadership on the delivery of a Microfiber Pollution report to the US Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Save the Oceans 2.0 Act. Enabled by their stakeholder and solution landscape knowledge, they identified diverse experts to guide the development of a most comprehensive scientific review in support of action on microfibers. Despite tight deadlines, Krystle and Carolynn went above and beyond to incorporate all of the comments from the advisory committee, while ensuring each comment or concern is appropriately addressed. I appreciate their commitment to scientific rigor and quality in the preparation of our draft report. I look forward to working with them further, and I highly recommend their services and expertise to anyone.”
— Dr. Anna Posacka, Chief Scientific Officer, Ocean Diagnostics Inc