It is very likely that you have never heard of the Bristol-based Matter company or their Gulp microplastics filter product but, they’ve partnered up with BSH (Bosch, Neff, Siemens) to launch this new filter to market.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you will have heard of the problem. We are dumping a lot of plastics and microplastics into the world’s oceans, which is causing many health concerns for humans and animals.
Of course Beko did something similar or, at least announced that they were a few years ago but since then we’ve heard nothing about it but Matter’s filter can be used on any machine as shown below, it essentially sits inline on the waste out of any washing machine or washer dryer.
We do not want to be too down on this as anything that helps our environment should be viewed in a positive light, and our only real concern here is people remembering to clean the filter out. Apart from that it’s hard to see any negatives (depending on cost of course) and we do like that Matter acknowledges that this is only a part of the solution. They also recognise that clothing manufacturers and water treatment facilities need to tackle this issue as well; it is not just an appliance industry problem.
The full press release is as follows:
Matter launches multi-platform partnership with BSH with Gulp, a ground-breaking microfibre filter device for home washing machines
· Bristol, UK climate tech company Matter has developed Gulp, a critically important capture technology to remove microfibres from washing machines for the benefit of human and environmental health
· Gulp is Matter’s first consumer product to market in partnership with one of Europe’s biggest washing machine manufacturers
· $10 million in series A funding was secured to grow the business last year with investors including S2G Ventures, SOUNDwaves, Regeneration.VC & Katapult
· Matter has embarked on scaling its technology solutions with major apparel and textile partners directly into the apparel value chain with the potential to capture millions of tons of microfibre and facilitate significant carbon emission reductions
Press release embargoed until 12.00 noon BST / 13.00 DEST on 4 September
Today (4 September) British sustainable technology scale-up Matter has announced a major new partnership with one of Europe’s leading domestic washing machine manufacturers. It will see BSH, under the brands Bosch and Siemens, launch across Europe a sustainable microfibre filter for use with domestic washing machines that will address the global microplastic pollution crisis by preventing up to 97% of microfibres from being released into wastewater during every wash cycle.
The Bosch filtration device will be powered by Matter’s unique patented self-cleaning technology, Regen.TM, and marks the Bristol based business’ first product to market following five years of development and five patents. The company completed a successful $10 million series A funding round last year with participation from S2G Ventures, SOUNDwaves and Leonardo DiCaprio backed Consumer ClimateTech fund Regeneration.VC.
The sustainable technology and innovation company also landed in the top 4% of projects on Kickstarter back in 2022 when its campaign reached over 1000 backers and raised over $150,000. Matter is now seeking further partners to bring their pioneering solutions for capturing microplastics to market across the world.
Adam Root, Founder and CEO of Matter, said: “We’re really excited to be partnering with BSH to launch this product and take our first step towards enabling people to tackle the global issue of microplastic pollution in their own homes. Our core technology is founded on the conviction that filtration is the most viable, near-term solution to stop microplastic pollution from further impacting our oceans, people and planet. Partnerships such as this are vital in helping us scale up and achieve this goal faster.”
The Regen.TM technology inside BSH’s filter captures microplastic particles from a wash cycle and offers the most flexible installation options on the market, with no drilling required. The filter can simply be connected to the washing machine’s wastewater hose and placed on or next to the appliance, it can even be easily retrofitted to an existing washing machine regardless of the manufacturer or age of the machine. Thanks to a self-cleaning system, which can go up to 6 weeks (20 wash cycles) without needing to be emptied1, no replacement filters are needed, so the product will last the life of the washing machine.
Konrad Koloska, Product Manager at BSH said: “We are proud to introduce our revolutionary microplastic filter, designed to tackle the major issue of microplastic pollution. By offering an external solution that can be easily equipped to any washing machine, we empower consumers to actively contribute to reducing microplastic waste without compromising on convenience. This collaboration with Matter exemplifies our commitment to proactive and effective measures in creating a cleaner and more sustainable future.”
The product launch comes at a time when awareness of the dangers of microplastic pollution to human and planetary health is increasing, with recent studies showing microplastics have been detected in everything from human heart tissue to brain cells and placentas. These findings further validate the need for legislation to tackle microplastic pollution with several significant pieces of legislation pending globally. In the US there is a microfibre bill being introduced in Congress called the Fighting Fibres Act of 2024, and whilst the EU is currently awaiting legislation, Matter is actively inputting to the corresponding test standards with the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) to control the release of micropollutants into the natural environment.
As the filtration technology developed by Matter can be applied to home laundry, professional laundry and industrial settings, the team is now looking to scale up further to drive globally meaningful reductions in micropollutant emissions from many of the major sources. This includes identifying and working with launch partners in the textile apparel supply chain to begin retrofitting facilities with industrial Regen.TM technology to stop microplastic at source, and launching Matter’s first professional laundry product for use in hotels, laundrettes and other commercial settings.
