Samsung unveils innovative 'Less Microfiber Filter' for washing machines

With the 'Less Microfiber Filter', Samsung's washing machine will be able to stop microplastics polluting the environment

Over the last few years, Samsung has been doubling down on eco-friendly initiatives such as increasing the use of recycled materials and less use of plastics in its products and retail boxes to reduce the impact on the environment.

Now, the South Korean technology major announced an innovative 'Less Microfiber Filter' for washing machines. It is an external attachable accessory that promises to reduce microplastic emissions during laundry cycles.

The new filter’s blades can capture microplastics with a 65-70 micrometer wide mesh and then redirect and compress these microplastics to one side. This requires the owners to clean the filter only once a month.

Before the Less Microfiber Filter, Samsung had introduced Less Microfiber Cycle, a preset option on select Samsung washing machines from 2022 and newer versions. This feature the use of proprietary Ecobubble technology to quickly dissolve the laundry detergent with water. It is not only effective in clearing dirt and stain from clothes, but it will also reduce the abrasion of clothes and increase the longevity of the clothes, and most importantly, avoid shedding microplastics.

Samsung Less Microfiber Filter. Credit: Samsung

Owners can activate the Less Microfiber Cycle mode with just the press of a button. Samsung will expand the feature to select older Wi-Fi-enabled Samsung washing machine models through an over-the-network update this year.

Now, with the Less Microfiber Filter accessory, Samsung is offering a secondary barrier to stop microplastics from entering the soil and oceans.

It should be noted the microscopic plastic particulates which get consumed by fish in the water and even gets into plants from the soil, can cause a huge impact on humans. After the accumulation of microplastics in the body reaches a certain threshold (varies with people), they become prone to more allergic reactions, faster cell damage, and cell death and even lead to chronic health issues such as cardiovascular and diabetes.

As of now, the new filter is now available in Korea and the U.K. and will roll out to other countries including India in the third quarter.

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