INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PAGES The Environment Directorate of the OECD organised the invite-only work- shop “Microplastics from synthetic tex- tiles in the Environment: Knowledge, Mitigation and Policy”, on 11 February 2020. Ngwe Pinlae Industrial Zone in Myanmar: According to the U.N, several garment factories located in two industrial parks are owned by military con- glomerate Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. (MEHL) the economic interests of the Myanmar military. The report notes that “The Tatmadaw’s economic interests enable its conduct” and that such economic interests include businesses and business ties, including Tatmadaw conglom- erates, donations from business and joint ventures. The report found that at least 15 foreign firms have joint ventures with the Tatmadaw, while 44 others have some form of commercial ties with Tatmadaw businesses. Within this context, the report by the IIFFM notes that “No business enterprise active in Myanmar or trading with or investing in businesses in Myanmar should enter into or remain in a business relationship of any kind with the secu- rity forces of Myanmar…” Therefore, “Businesses buying goods from Myan- mar should apply rigorous standards of due diligence to their supply chains, to ensure that none of their products are coming from Tatmadaw-related business- es. Businesses should also make the origins of their products clear, to allow consumers to make informed choices.” The IFFMM report is also of consequence for the garment and footwear sector in Myanmar. For example, two industrial zones that are owned by the military conglomerate Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. (MEHL) include apparel facto- ries, according to the IIFFMM. Fashion and Microplastics: What can we do about it? Scientists are gathering mounting evidence that microplastics, commonly de- fined as plastic particles under 5mm, are everywhere – from the remotest moun- tains and the deepest parts of the ocean, to our local rivers, drinking water, food products and the air we breathe. Microplastics are likely to persist across all stages of the water and wastewater treatment cycles. In response to these findings, recent years have seen the introduction of mi- crobead bans in cosmetic and personal care products and bans of single use plastics, which with time degrade into microplastics. However, microplastics originating during the washing of synthetic textiles remain untargeted by the current policy framework on plastic waste and pollution. This is despite that fact that synthetic textiles are recognised to be one of the largest contributors to microplastics pollution of the oceans, e.g. through the leakage of microfibres generated during washing. NCM-MARCH 2020 54Objective(s) of this session were to present and discuss product design, technological and policy solutions to address the issue of microplastics throughout the textile life-cycle. It in- volved a multi-stakeholder panel, which brought together environmental policy makers, scientists, representatives from the textile industry and civil soci- ety to discuss potential mitigation strat- egies for microplastics originating from synthetic textiles. For this, the feasi- bility and cost-effectiveness of tech- nological solutions, best practices, and emerging policy initiatives were dis- cussed. What are remaining challenges/ gaps? Policymakers need tools and instru- ments that contribute to effective man- agement of microfibers. Part of the challenge is the increasing need to find cost-effective solutions across the tex- tiles chain – from fabric design and production, through to disposal and wastewater treatment. Because this issue sits across the waste manage- ment and water policy arenas, cross- sectoral mitigation policies along the lifecycle of textile products are required in order to address it. This requires complex policy responses involving a diverse number of policy instruments and stakeholders, i.e. the textile indus- try, the washing machine manufactur- ing sector, water and wastewater utili- ties, and final consumers. The focus needs to be on exploring the best practices to mitigate the release of microplastics during the use-phase of textiles and finding the barriers to the implementation of these practices. Questions like how cost-effective are the available technologies, and how can governments offer policy support in the textile sector to prevent micro- plastics leakage, also need answers.