Cora Ball
Using biomimicry of coral to capture some of the microplastics in your laundry, the Cora Ball is a perfect addition to your sustainable laundry routine. Particularly useful for households who wash a lot of clothing and bedding that are made from synthetic fabrics (think uniforms, activewear, etc).
You put your Cora Ball into each wash. The microplastics will collect in the centre of the Cora Ball (resembling fluff) after months of use. You then remove this fluff and put it into your landfill bin.
About The Cora Ball
Did you know that laundry is the biggest source of primary microplastics in the ocean? When we wash our clothes, all fabrics shed. If the fabric is synthetic, these microfibers will be microplastics that are too small for the filters at the waste water stations. They then head out into our waterways and oceans.
An average of 700,000 fibres per 6kg of clothing are entering our waterways with every load of laundry. These microfibres get quite literally everywhere, they are in our oceans, our soils, and our bodies. Enter the Cora Ball. Made from 100% recycled plastic, the Cora Ball, added to a load of laundry, will catch about 31% microfibre fuzz made during washing.
The design of the Cora Ball is a form of biomimicry – technology inspired by nature. The Cora Ball is inspired by coral’s ability to filter minute food particles from flowing water. The water in washing machines flows past the Cora Ball, and the microfibers stick to its stalks accumulating in the center of the Cora Ball.
Cora Ball Details
Frequently Asked Questions
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This nifty little invention captures microplastics from your laundry, stopping them from entering waterways!
The Cora Ball has been independently tested and proven to capture 26-31% of microplastics in laundry.
Cora Balls will last 5 years or more, under normal washing cThisonditions.
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Captures Microplastics: Did you know that during the wash, the synthetic fabrics in our clothes shed microfibres? These head out to the ocean as Plastic Pollution as Microplastics!
Reduces Ocean Pollution: if you want to learn more, check out the full blog post here.
Cora Ball helps prevent microfibres from breaking off your clothes, reducing the total amount of microfibres produced and protecting your clothes.
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Simply add your Cora Ball to your washing machine and wash your load as normal. After a few months (depending on how many loads you are doing), you will find 'fluff' accumulating in the centre of the Cora Ball.
Remove the fluff and place it into a landfill bin. Please note that the microplastics take time to accumulate, given we are targeting the microscopic level of plastic pollution with the Cora Ball.
*Please note that the Cora Ball is unsuitable for delicate fabrics or clothing with many straps. Please protect these items in a delicates bag or leave the Cora Ball out of the wash for that cycle. -
100mm in diameter., 95mm high.
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Made of 100% recycled content, including reground Cora Balls, and is 100% recyclable with the Cora Ball take-back program. This plastic will not create microplastic itself when in the washing machine.
There have been two independent tests of the Cora Ball's effectiveness. The first was published in the peer-reviewed journal Marine Pollution Bulletin which found that the Cora Ball captured 26% of microfibers.
The International Marine Litter Research Unit, School of Biological and Marine Sciences at the University of Plymouth conducted the second test. They concluded that the Cora Ball collects 31% of the microplastics in the wash and is published in the Journal Science of the Total Environment.An important conclusion of both studies is that adding the Cora Ball to your wash prevents microfibre shedding in the first place. This also extends the life of your clothes!
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A swing tag is made from kraft paper and tied to your Cora Ball with jute twine.
Your package will be sent via plastic-free shipping either in a cardboard box with paper tape or a home compostable mailer with corrugated cardboard for protection.
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You will need to remove the 'fluff' from your Cora Ball every few months. Clean in the same manner you would a hairbrush - removing visible fibres using fingers or tweezers.
This is likely to be a collection of hair, and visible fabric fibres. That is okay, the microfibers will collect around these fibres too.
We can take back our Cora Balls at the end of their life as part of the manufacturer's take-back program, where they are made back into new Cora Balls. There is no curbside recycling option in New Zealand for the Cora Ball, so please use the landfill bin if you don't send your ball back to us.
*Please note that you must protect delicates or strappy clothing items when using a Cora Ball. Please use a delicates bag or leave the Cora Ball out of that load.
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Made in the USA.
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Shipping costs, shipping materials, carbon offsets, and estimates for delivery times can be found: HERE.
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Anyone who uses a washing machine and washes synthetic fabrics. Whether a front loader, top loader, or a laundromat, you can use a Cora Ball.
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No, delicates are not recommended to be washed with a Cora Ball. This is because the Cora Ball can catch and damage delicate fabrics (knits, tassels, lace etc). These delicate items do not produce as much microfibre as other fabrics.
Please use a delicates bag or take your Cora Ball out the machine for the delicates load. -
One Cora Ball is adequate for most families. If you are doing large, regular loads, you can use up to 3.
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There have been two independent studies done on the Cora Ball, and the microplastic capture rate is 26-31%. Several factors determine the effectiveness, such as fabrics in the load, pet hair included in the wash, and wash settings/frequency.
It's noteworthy that both these studies showed that the Cora Ball prevented fabrics from shedding in the first place -win-win!
Here are the design strategies that prevent the Cora Ball from causing microfibres themselves;
1. Shape: smooth rings on the outside.
2. Material: soft and stretchy material- to be kind on clothes
3. Motion: Moving with your clothes, the Cora Ball does not thump into them.
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It will take time (sometimes in the range of months - remember we are working on the microscopic level here) to see the 'fluff' collected in the centre of the Cora Ball. This also depends on the fabrics you wash and how often you wash.
Please refer to the video to see what the accumulated microfibers look like. Remember that the Cora Ball also helps prevent fabric shedding, so the fluff is great, and the prevention is also great! -
The Cora Ball works on biomimicry (the mimicking of natural systems) of coral. The water moves over the ends of the Cora Ball and then gets trapped in the centre. There are specifically designed 'prongs' on the inside of the ball that act to trap the microfibers - as coral would do to trap food.
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We suggest you only need to clean when the Cora Ball needs fibres removed. You can move the stalks around to free away the tangles. No need to clean after every load.
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Please don't intentionally put your Cora Ball in the dryer. The material of the Cora Ball will be fine with heat if you accidentally toss your Cora Ball in the dryer with your washing.
Our Story, Our Promise
We are an NZ-owned, woman-led social enterprise. This means that we are for-profit, but the main thing we wake up for in the morning is our purpose; to reduce waste and stand up for Mama Earth. We are a certified bCorp.
