AUCKLAND, New Zealand – June 8, 2023 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced the launch of the new Less Microfibre™ Filter, an external washing machine filter designed to significantly reduce plastic microfibre 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 the  Less Microfibre™ Cycle, which launched in New Zealand this year, to substantially cut microplastics and enable sustainable laundry washing that is both effective and effortless. The new filter will be available in New Zealand later this year.

“With the continued increase of microplastics in our oceans 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 reduce 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 Microfibre™ Filter and Cycle, Samsung is enabling Everyday Sustainability in a wider array of products and making eco-conscious daily practices second nature in the home.”

From the Less Microfibre™ Cycle to the Less Microfibre™ Filter: Stopping Microplastics Before They Enter the Ocean

To enable customers to cut microplastic emissions from their laundry, Samsung first developed the Less Microfibre™ Cycle, a wash course that reduces microplastic shedding by 54%¹ in part by leveraging Samsung’s proprietary Bubblewash™ technology. By using bubbles to help dissolve and absorb detergent, less heat and energy is required to wash clothes, resulting in reduced abrasion which in turn prevents microplastic emissions.

The Less Microfibre™ Filter takes this a step further, preventing up to 98%² of microplastics released during laundry from escaping into the waste water, equivalent to eight 500ml plastic bottles per year³ when used four times a week. In addition, to help more customers get involved in cutting microplastic emissions, the Less Microfibre™ 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 embrace sustainability at home. To verify the technology’s efficacy and its sustainability features, both Cycle and the Filter were independently evaluated by Ocean Wise using a peer-reviewed microfibre shedding test protocol at the marine organisation’s state-of-the-art lab in Vancouver, Canada.

Sustainable Convenience Every Day

Samsung is committed to developing new products and technologies for a sustainable future. As we strive to enable Everyday Sustainability, not only should these products be highly effective, they should also be simple, accessible and convenient to use while considering eco-conscious practices in each aspect of product development.

With this in mind, the Less Microfibre™ Filter is made using recycled plastics – to help incorporate sustainability at every stage of its lifecycle – and was designed to be long-lasting and easy to maintain. The filter’s blades capture the microplastics with a 65-70 micrometre 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 Microfibre™ Cycle, meanwhile, is available as a preset option on select Samsung washing machines from 2023 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.

Innovation for a Brighter Future

The development and launch of the Less Microfibre™ Cycle and Filter are just the latest steps in Samsung’s sustainability journey.

“We’ve been investing in microfibre research for many years, learning how to reduce the fibres that shed from our garments and contribute to the various sources of pollution in the ocean,” said Matt Dwyer, VP of product impact and innovation at Patagonia. “We applaud Samsung for joining us in taking this major step forward in the fight against microfibre pollution.”

Beyond the launch of the Less Microfibre™ Cycle and Filter, Samsung will continue developing new technologies and products that make Everyday Sustainability an effortless part of daily life for customers everywhere and continue to work with partners to deliver tomorrow’s eco-conscious household solutions.

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About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.