How is Recycled PET Clothing Made?

In a world where plastic waste is in abundance, the fashion industry has a responsibility to find new, sustainable solutions. Yet, despite mounting pressure to cut carbon emissions and opt for eco-conscious practices, many companies are still perpetuating the problem. According to the Textile Exchange, half of the world’s clothing is made from polyester fabric, which is made from plastic.

At Ecofera, we’ve taken a different path. Having seen first-hand the damage that plastic waste can have on our oceans and ecosystems, we’ve been producing stylish and long-lasting outdoor clothing with a material known as Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate, or ‘rPET’, which uses recycled plastic bottles.

But wait - how can a plastic bottle be realistically recycled into a tote bag? What is rPET fabric and is it really sustainable? Above all, what are the benefits of buying recycled PET clothing?

To shed some light on this sustainable solution, we thought we’d give you the lowdown on the rPET clothing lifecycle.

1. Bottles are collected and cleaned

RPET is the same as regular polyester in every way but one: instead of being made from crude oil, recycled PET is made from plastic bottles. By using the millions of plastic bottles already in existence, this approach lessens the environmental impact of producing plastic and prevents bottles from ending up in landfills and our oceans. So, as you can imagine, the first step towards making recycled PET clothing is to collect the bottles and give them a deep clean to make sure all that remains is the plastic itself.

2. Bottles are shredded into small flakes

Here’s where it gets interesting. After the plastic bottles have been collected and cleaned, they are crushed into tiny pieces by large cutting machines. The flakes will then pass through a liquid solution to remove any residual labels or glue. Finally, for the final filtering process, the PET flakes are left to float on the liquid while any potential contaminants sink, leaving us with pure PET flakes that we can use to make everything from beanie hats to cozy cabin socks.

3. PET flakes are crushed and melted

It’s hard to imagine how a tote bag starts its life as a pile of small plastic pellets - but you would be surprised at the diversity of products that can be made from existing plastics again and again and again. After being thoroughly washed, these little plastic pellets are melted down to make a fiber. By melting the flakes, you can separate the PET ingredient from the plastic bottle so that it can be used to make a new garment or accessory.

4. Melted plastic is spun into thread

When PET flakes are melted down, what remains is the raw filament yarns that can be spun and woven into a variety of fabrics. This process uses less than half the energy than making PET from scratch and it uses resources already in existence. In order to get really high-quality fabric that looks and feels good, we smooth and stretch out the yarn on a large reel. From here, the recycled PET fabric is passed to a team of designers so they can turn it into a brand-new product. When rPET clothing is made to a high standard, the final product will be exactly the same as if it were made from regular polyester - the only difference is the planet doesn’t suffer in the process.

Our promise to the planet

Every year, the world generates an unfathomable amount of plastic waste. In North America, that figure is roughly 35 million tonnes. Unlike organic waste, plastic can take hundreds to thousands of years to decompose – and so little of this plastic waste is recycled and repurposed.  At Ecofera, we’re trying to change that. Through our eco-friendly outdoor accessories, we’re working hard to bring that number up and get more from the high volume of plastic produced each year. Right now, we’re proud that our recycled PET clothing makes use of thousands of plastic bottles each year - and this is just the beginning.

Check out our range of products made from recycled PET over at our shop >>