University of Portsmouth researchers are launching the first study into environmental impacts of counterfeit football shirts.
The UK Intellectual Property Office-funded work will compare authentic and fake kits for microplastic shedding, carbon impact and disposal.
Findings are intended to guide brands, policymakers and environmental groups on enforcement, consumer messaging and textile-waste.
The project is particularly timely in the context of the FIFA World Cup, when demand for football shirts, both authentic and counterfeit, is especially high. Although the social harms of counterfeit markets, including the exploitation of workers by organised criminal networks are increasingly well documented, their environmental impacts remain poorly understood. Researchers say that claims counterfeit goods are more harmful to the environment have rarely been supported by robust scientific evidence.
The University team will carry out an integrated environmental assessment, which measures the energy and carbon impact of each product throughout its life cycle, and investigates whether counterfeit shirts release higher levels of microplastic fibres during use than genuine kits. Alongside this, the researchers will investigate which messages are most effective at discouraging consumers from buying counterfeit products.
The findings will provide policymakers, environmental organisations and brands with evidence to help shape future enforcement, public awareness campaigns and strategies to reduce demand for counterfeit goods.
Dr Kate Whitman, from the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth and project lead, said, “Textile waste is a growing environmental challenge, yet the contribution of counterfeit clothing is often overlooked. We suspect it plays a much larger role than is currently recognised. At the same time, the public can be sceptical of claims about the harms of counterfeiting because they often come from organisations with a commercial interest in selling authentic products. Our goal is to generate independent, scientific evidence that is credible and trusted by both industry and the public.”
The textile industry is a significant source of microplastic pollution as synthetic garments shed tiny plastic fibres during manufacturing, everyday wear and most notably laundering. Many of these fibres are too small to be fully captured by wastewater treatment systems, allowing them to enter aquatic environments and agricultural soils. Over time, these microplastics accumulate in the environment, posing risks to wildlife and human health.
Felicity Webster, research associate at the Revolution Plastics Institute, University of Portsmouth said, “The textile industry is a significant source of microplastic pollution as synthetic garments shed tiny plastic fibres during manufacturing, everyday wear and most notably laundering.
“Many of these fibres are too small to be fully captured by wastewater treatment systems, allowing them to enter aquatic environments and agricultural soils. Over time, these microplastics accumulate in the environment, posing risks to wildlife and human health. This study will explore whether there are measurable differences in microplastic shedding between counterfeit and genuine football shirts, providing new insight into the environmental impacts of sportswear production.”
The project will produce a report for the Intellectual Property Office, an academic publication and a stakeholder workshop, providing new evidence to support future policy and public engagement on counterfeit goods and their environmental impacts.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk
