How are Plastic Bottles Recycled into Clothing?

How are Plastic Bottles Recycled into Clothing?

When you initially hear that fabric can come from recycled plastic bottles, it might sound a bit hard to believe. You may wonder if the material will be hot, crunchy, and uncomfortable. However, the reality is quite different — it's soft, breathable, and sustainable. Before we delve into why recycling plastic bottles is beneficial and how it actually works, it’s important to note another fact: most of your clothing is made from oil.

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The Types of Fabrics

Fabrics can be broadly categorized into natural and synthetic fibers. Natural fibers include cotton, silk, linen, wool, hemp, and bamboo. These fibers are grown (either from plants or animals) and are biodegradable, making them environmentally friendly. On the contrary, synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, acrylic, and spandex are man-made from non-natural materials, typically derived from oil.

Performance Matters

Why use synthetics when natural fibers are available? It boils down to performance. Synthetic fibers offer unique properties such as moisture-wicking, waterproofing, and elasticity. These features make them ideal for sports and performance wear. While organic cotton works well for everyday clothing like T-shirts and sweaters, it wouldn’t be practical for items like raincoats.

Benefits of Recycling Plastic Bottles

Recycling plastic bottles not only helps reduce landfill waste but also finds a purpose for single-use plastics. This process decreases our dependence on oil in the fashion industry, which is far from sustainable.

The Recycling Process

1. Plastic bottles are collected for recycling.
2. Caps are removed, and bottles are sorted by color.
3. The bottles are cleaned and sterilized to remove contaminants.
4. The plastic is dried and shredded into small flakes.
5. Flakes are melted and extruded into yarn.
6. The yarn is spun into thread.
7. The thread is woven into fabric rolls.
8. Fabric is cut and sewn to create new clothes.

Recycled fabric feels similar to regular fabric — it is soft, silky, breathable, and comfortable. It is a durable, high-performance material that uses up to 59% less energy in production compared to creating conventional polyester from oil.

Our Commitment

Since our launch in 2018, we have committed to creating and using sustainable fabrics. For our raincoats, we initially used 48% recycled polyester, which increased to 100% recycled by 2020. Our activewear is made from 75% recycled materials, mixed with elastane for stretch. While there’s no perfect fabric, we are proud of our achievements so far, recycling over 50,000 bottles into fabric and reducing our reliance on oil.

Check out our recycled range here, proving that you don't have to compromise on style or sustainability.

How a Plastic Bottle Becomes a Shoe

By Allison Tau

When you check the tag on a piece of clothing, you might find "recycled polyester" listed among its materials. Most of this recycled polyester comes from plastic water and soda bottles! Using recycled polyester is more eco-friendly compared to new polyester.

To make new polyester, you start with coal, petroleum, air, and water. These resources undergo a chemical reaction called polymerization at extremely high temperatures, consuming a lot of energy and natural resources. This process also releases greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change.

Conversely, using recycled polyester consumes less energy and resources. It eliminates the need to extract coal and petroleum from the earth since the material already exists. By using PET bottles, recycled polyester production emits 75% fewer greenhouse gases compared to producing new PET.

You can identify PET plastics by looking for a number "1" stamped inside the universal recycling symbol. Not all plastics are recyclable, so identifying PET is essential.

At recycling facilities, PET bottles are separated from other plastics, shredded into flakes, melted into pellets, and then later re-melted. This molten plastic is extruded into fibers, which are spun into yarn and then woven into polyester fabric. It takes approximately 9 plastic bottles to make one T-shirt and about 11 bottles to make a pair of shoes!

Although recycling polyester helps keep plastic bottles out of landfills and oceans, it relies on people recycling their PET containers properly. Once PET is recycled into polyester, it cannot be easily recycled further. However, scientists are continuously finding innovative ways to reuse waste and prevent environmental pollution.

Contact us to discuss your requirements for a plastic washing recycling machine. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the best options for your needs.