The UK Parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Microplastics (The Group) works to raise awareness of the effects of microplastics on the environment. The Group works together to discuss issues related to microplastics and steps needed to tackle the issue and prevent harmful impacts on the environment, riverine and marine life and human health. In this first report, the Group has been focussing on the issue of plastic microfibres; these are plastic fibres defined as 5mm or smaller that are shed from clothing when worn and laundered.(1) Due to their size, they are too small to be caught by standard washing machines and can end up in the wastewater system where they are either caught or remain in sewage sludge or are released into rivers and eventually into marine environments. This potentially damages riverine and marine species and can subsequently enter into the human food chain. For this inquiry, the Group sought to understand plastic microfibre release during the laundry process – considering the scale of the problem, its impacts and possible solutions.