Why garment care after purchase belongs in fashion’s environmental responsibility
Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about your role and your work at Xeros.
I’m Neil Austin. I’ve been Chief Exec at Xeros for the last 4 years, having spent most of my career in tech startups and consumer electronics. At Xeros we are generating greener more efficient ways to manufacture clothes and better ways to launder them, whilst also reducing or capturing pollution whether that be harsh chemicals or microfibres.
Why should fashion brands and consumers regard garment care after purchase as part of the industry’s environmental responsibility?
Environmental responsibility shouldn’t end when a garment leaves the factory or shop. Clothes go through repeated washes, and each cycle affects their colour, shape, fibres, and longevity, while also using water, energy, and detergent. Washing garments uses 20 billion cubic metres of water per year globally, enough drinking water for 228 million people, highlighting the real issue with traditional washing habits.
Our research shows that six out of ten people want to buy fewer, higher-quality clothes, and 65% believe fashion brands should help garments last longer. But this can be tricky when washing causes clothes to fade, shrink, or wear out too quickly. Brands can design durable clothes and offer better care tips, while consumers need simple, effective tools. Making clothes last longer is a shared effort that depends on us all.
How do shrinking, fading, dye transfer and fabric damage influence clothing lifespans and the wider waste challenge?
Shrinkage, fading, and dye transfer might seem like minor everyday issues, but they significantly influence how people value and wear their clothes. When a jumper no longer fits or black jeans look faded, people are less likely to wear, donate, or resell the item. Nearly two-thirds of adults have discarded, donated, or stopped wearing clothes due to laundry damage, losing an average of three to four garments. We estimate that 186 million garments leave British wardrobes each year due to damage from the wash, with a total original value of around £3.6 billion. Additionally, a quarter of people have experienced a new item shrinking after its first wash. When repeated damage pushes clothing out of regular use, it not only costs consumers money but also increases the demand for replacements, contributing to the fashion industry’s growing waste problem.
How do XOrbs, the engineered drum and optimised wash programmes reduce fabric-on-fabric contact during laundry?
Traditional washing methods involve clothes rubbing against the drum and each other, which can lead to fading, fiber damage, creasing, and dye transfer. In contrast, a Xeros-enabled cycle uses reusable XOrbs that move between garments inside an engineered XDrum, providing a gentler cleaning action and helping detergent distribute more evenly. This system, composed of the drum, XOrbs, and an optimised program, reduces the need for harsh fabric-on-fabric contact. Testing shows that this technology can more than double the lifespan of garments and cut microfibre shedding by about 50%. At the end of the cycle, the XOrbs are automatically collected and stored for reuse, with no extra effort required.
What barriers have slowed washing-machine innovation, and how is Xeros working with international appliance and textile partners to scale adoption?
Washing machines are mature, complex products, so innovating in this space involves technical, manufacturing, and commercial risks. They need to meet high standards for cleaning, reliability, safety, and convenience, all while fitting into existing production lines. Interestingly, 72% of people aren’t sure if washing machines are keeping up with other household tech, showing a clear gap consumers can feel. Xeros bridges that gap through licensing and we team up with global appliance and textile partners to bring proven technology into their machines and processes. By offering testing, engineering support, and proof of performance, we make it easier, scalable, and worthwhile for manufacturers to adopt new solutions.
What exciting plans and goals do you have for Xeros over the next few years?
Our goal is to bring proven technology into everyday use. We want partners in appliances, textiles, and laundry to adopt our garment-care, filtration, and denim-finishing solutions so their benefits can reach more people. The interest is there, with six in ten consumers saying they’d be interested in a solution that makes washing delicate clothes safer and easier at home. We aim to make protecting clothes, reducing microfibre release, and cutting resource use standard features, not just extras. Our vision is to make eco-friendly clothing manufacturing and care a natural part of daily life, providing real value for both consumers and industry.
