Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of washing synthetic clothing on to our oceans and marine life as set out in the 2017 report by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation on a new textiles economy: redesigning fashion's future.

This report is consistent with growing evidence that microplastics reach the marine environment and come from many sources. We welcome the report as an important contribution to the debate on the issue.