HOW SUSTAINABLE ARE CLOTHS MADE FROM RPET(OCEAN PLASTIC)?
Around 50% of the world’s textiles are now made from synthetic fibers. Greenpeace has calculated that this proportion will almost double by 2030. The continuing trend towards technical sportswear has also meant that more and more end consumers are buying textiles made from technical functional fibers. Polyester is made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) – a very common type of plastic worldwide. Ultimately, most of our clothing is simply made from petroleum. Recycled polyester, also known as rPET, is made from existing plastics that are melted down and then spun into new polyester fibers. In this process, rPet is produced from normal plastic waste and collected ocean plastic. Five soda bottles make enough yarn for one T-shirt. You can have individually designed cloths made from rPET.
But clothing that is made entirely of polyester cannot always be recycled again. There are two ways to recycle PET: mechanically and chemically. A plastic bottle can be used for mechanical recycling. It is washed, crushed and then turned back into a polyester chip. This then goes through the traditional fiber production process again. In chemical recycling, plastic waste is used and converted back into its original monomers. These are indistinguishable from new polyester and can therefore easily be returned to the normal polyester production process.
WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT:
We want to produce as many products as possible from materials that can be worn with a clear conscience. Natural, organic and recycled materials that do not harm health or the environment are important to us. For example, our polyester is often made from recycled plastic and other textiles are made from organic cotton.
For example, we have produced cloths made from rPET for our customers, which are also used as sustainable packaging such as furoshiki cloths. In this way, valuable raw materials from our planet are used sustainably for as long as possible. For short distances and delivery times, our rPET cloths are manufactured in Italy. This also minimizes the use of resources for delivery routes.
