Microplastics are everywhere. They are in tap water, bottled water, sea salt, honey, beer, and the air in your home. They have been detected in human blood, lung tissue, and placental tissue. Eliminating exposure entirely is not realistic.
Reducing it meaningfully is. And the highest-leverage changes are not as complicated as the ubiquity of the problem might suggest. For those starting with their wardrobe, curated non toxic activewear made from cellulosic fibers rather than synthetic polymers is the single highest-impact clothing change available.
Understand Where Your Exposure Actually Comes From
Before making changes, it helps to know which sources contribute most. Microplastic exposure pathways include ingestion through food and water, inhalation of airborne fibers, and skin contact with synthetic materials. Research suggests that dietary sources, particularly seafood, bottled water, and food processed or stored in plastic packaging, account for a significant fraction of ingestion exposure. Airborne fibers, primarily from synthetic textiles, account for a significant fraction of inhalation exposure in indoor environments.
The clothing exposure pathway is unique because it combines inhalation, skin contact, and sweat-mediated chemical absorption simultaneously, and it is most active during exercise, when all three pathways are elevated. For people who train regularly in synthetic activewear, clothing is a meaningful and modifiable source that operates daily at higher intensity than most others. The gym environment in particular is examined in depth in the research on microplastics in the gym.
Change Your Activewear Fiber First
If you wear synthetic activewear regularly, switching to a cellulosic alternative is the highest-leverage single change you can make for clothing-related microplastic exposure. Polyester and nylon are plastic polymers that shed microfibers during both wear and washing. TENCEL Lyocell is not a plastic polymer. It is derived from plant cellulose and does not shed petroleum-derived plastic microfibers.
The activewear category is the highest-exposure clothing context because of how it is worn: in direct skin contact, during high-movement activity, while sweating, for extended durations. Napper and Thompson (2016), in Marine Pollution Bulletin, documented consistent microfiber shedding from synthetic fabrics under mechanical stress. That stress is at its highest during exercise.
The Sempre Leggings are 92% TENCEL Lyocell. Starting with the garment worn most intensively and most frequently against the body is where the reduction matters most.
Use a Washing Bag for Synthetic Garments
If you still have synthetic activewear in rotation, a microfiber-catching laundry bag, such as a Guppyfriend bag, captures a significant fraction of fibers released during washing before they enter the water system. Research from the Plastic Soup Foundation found that these bags can capture over 80% of fibers that would otherwise be released. This does not address wear-shedding, but it reduces the washing contribution meaningfully.
Filter Your Drinking Water
Microplastics have been documented in both tap water and bottled water. A study published in Frontiers in Chemistry (Mason, S.A., et al., 2018) found microplastic contamination in bottled water samples from multiple major brands, at concentrations higher than tap water in some cases. A high-quality activated carbon or reverse osmosis filter reduces microplastic content in drinking water. Bottled water is not a lower-exposure alternative to filtered tap water and adds plastic packaging as an additional source.
Reduce Plastic Food Contact
Plastics in food packaging leach chemical additives, including phthalates and bisphenol compounds, into food, particularly under heat. Storing food in glass or stainless steel rather than plastic, avoiding microwaving food in plastic containers, and reducing reliance on highly processed foods in plastic packaging reduces ingestion of both microplastic particles and associated chemical leachates.
Ventilate Indoor Spaces
Indoor microplastic fiber concentrations are consistently higher than outdoor concentrations, with synthetic textiles as the primary source. Research by Dris et al. (2017) in Environmental Science and Technology documented this disparity and identified clothing as a dominant contributor in indoor environments. Regular ventilation, opening windows to exchange indoor air, reduces the accumulation of airborne fibers. This matters particularly in home workout spaces and gyms where synthetic activewear is being worn during high-movement activity.
Vacuum Regularly with a HEPA Filter
Microplastic fibers that settle on surfaces are resuspended by movement and air currents. Regular vacuuming with a HEPA-filtered vacuum captures settled fibers before they re-enter the air. Standard vacuums without HEPA filtration can resuspend fine particles back into the air during operation, which is counterproductive for microplastic reduction.
Choose Certified Over Claimed
When evaluating any product marketed as lower in harmful chemicals, third-party certification is the meaningful signal. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests finished garments for over 100 substances including phthalates, PFAS, formaldehyde, and heavy metals. EU Ecolabel certifies production standards. These certifications are verifiable. Brand claims without a certifying body are not.
The Texas Attorney General's 2026 investigation into Lululemon demonstrated exactly this gap: a brand can market wellness positioning and maintain a restricted substances list while still having PFAS present in products, and consumers have no way to know without independent verification. For the health context behind why this matters, the research on microplastics and women's health and on microplastics and fertility document what is at stake at the biological level.
The Realistic Goal
The goal is not zero exposure. That is not achievable in the current environment. The goal is meaningful reduction in the sources that are highest-contribution and most modifiable. For most people who exercise regularly, the activewear fiber is the most actionable starting point, followed by water filtration, reduced plastic food contact, and improved indoor ventilation.
Each change compounds. None of them requires dramatic lifestyle disruption. The fiber in your leggings is the place to start.
Sources
Napper, I.E., and Thompson, R.C. (2016). Release of synthetic microplastic plastic fibres from domestic washing machines. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 112(1-2).
Mason, S.A., et al. (2018). Synthetic polymer contamination in bottled water. Frontiers in Chemistry, 6.
Dris, R., et al. (2017). A first overview of textile fibers, including microplastics, in indoor and outdoor environments. Environmental Science and Technology.
Texas Attorney General. (2026, April 13). Attorney General Ken Paxton Launches Investigation into Lululemon Over Potential Presence of Toxic "Forever Chemicals" in Activewear. texasattorneygeneral.gov.
Kaplan, S., et al. (2014). Thermal comfort of lyocell and other fibers in active wear. Fibers and Polymers, 15(6).
