Natural Environment Blog

Recycled Polyester is a polyester that has been manufactured by using previously used polyester items. In the clothing world, recycled polyester clothes can be created from used clothes.

Polyester fibers made from recycled plastic containers (such as Fortrel Ecospun) are often referred to as recycled polyester too. However, in this article, I’m referring to polyester clothes made from other polyester clothes.

A company called Patagonia has become quite famous for it’s recycled polyester clothes. They have been able to create polyester garments using previously worn garments. They also started the world’s first garment recycling program - which enables customers to bring their used clothing back for recycling. Patagonia encourage customers to bring in their used Capilene baselayer, Patagonia fleece or Polartec^® fleece. The fabric of these items makes them suitable for recycling. Patagonia can create a new garment made from the recycled polyester.

Is Recycled Polyester Eco-Friendly?

Recycled polyester is not always eco-friendly. The “eco-friendliness” of recycled polyester depends on the recycling process, and the original polyester itself. Polyester is still a synthetic fabric, so it’s not going to be as organic as plant fibers such as hemp, bamboo, ramie etc.

Traditional polyester has potential health hazards and environmental issues that make it a lot less eco-friendly than it could be. A relatively new brand of polyester called Eco-Intelligent^® Polyester (launched in 2001) aims to overcome the health hazards and environmental issues inherent in traditional polyester.

As far as I’m aware, Eco-Intelligent Polyester is currently only available in upholstery and interior trade (not clothing etc).

Where can I buy Recycled Polyester products?

You may be able to find recycled polyester at your local clothing store. If you’re looking to purchase online, check out the Patagonia website.

Synthetic Polyester certainly isn’t a product known for it’s “eco-friendliness”. After all, it’s still synthetic and has traditionally been manufactured using a toxic process, which isn’t earth-friendly or healthy.

So, one would think that recycled polyester fixes all this, right?

Well, not quite. There’s a bit more to it than simply blurting out “hey, let’s recycle it!”. Recycling a toxic product like synthetic polyester will often result in more toxins being released into the air or water. Also, recycling traditional polyester actually downgrades the quality of the polyester. There’s a limit to the number of times it can be recycled before it’s value is gone and it ends up in landfill. Hardly eco-friendly.

A more eco-friendly polyester could change this though. For example, Eco-Intelligent^® Polyester, a registered trademark of Victor Innovatex, is a polyester that’s made using a more eco-friendly process, and using more eco-friendly ingredients. This has resulted in a polyester that can be recycled indefinitely, without losing it’s original quality.

Here’s a more detailed explanation:

Traditional Polyester

Traditional synthetic polyester has potential health hazards. This is because antimony is used during the manufacturing stage. Antimony is toxic to the heart, lungs, liver and skin, and manufacture of polyester produces a by-product called antimony trioxide. Over the long term, inhalation of antimony trioxide can cause chronic bronchitis and even emphysema. What’s more, the antimony trioxide mixes with the wastewater and you end up with toxic wastewater.

Recycling this class of polyester only exasperates things. The recycling process is a high-temperature process and you end up with antimony trioxide again. Plus, the recycling process actually results in a lower quality polyester. This is why the term “downcycling” is more appropriate than “recycling”. Over time, continued recycling leads to a polyester with less and less value - until it ends up in landfill.

While this is better than no recycling/(downcycling) at all, there’s definitely room for improvement.

Eco-Intelligent Polyester

With the inherent environmental and health issues related to traditional polyester recycling, the whole process needed to be redesigned. With the traditional method, the problem started with the original polyester. This is the first thing that needed to be changed. You may have heard the term “garbage in, garbage out”. Well, that term could also apply with recycling.

For the best recycling result, all ingredients of the original polyester should be healthy and environmentally friendly. Every ingredient needs to have the ability to be recycled into something of at least the same quality. That way, a new (and environmentally friendly) recycling process can be created that maintains the quality of the original product, and is friendly to the environment.

In 2001, a Canadian company called Victor Innovatex launched Eco-Intelligent Polyester. Victor Innovatex said their product was “environmentally sustainable”. This is because it can be recycled indefinitely. Any polyester that is produced from the recycling process should be able to maintain it’s original quality, no matter how many times it’s recycled.

Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, Eco-Intelligent Polyester is currently only available in upholstery and interior trade (not clothing etc), but at least it’s a start.

The great thing about bamboo clothing is that, not only is it soft and comfortable, but it also has some great environmental benefits.

The Comfort Factor

Bamboo clothing is said to be softer than cotton, with a texture more like that of silk or cashmere.

Bamboo clothing also absorbs moisture quickly. It actually draws moisture away from your skin, so it’s perfect for summer months or warmer climates, as well as for vigorous activities such as playing sports, bush walking, running, cycling etc. Pure bamboo clothes also dry in about half the time as cotton clothing.

Bamboo clothes are perfect to wear all year round - they’ll keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

The Environmental Benefits

The environmental benefits of bamboo clothing are also very impressive.

Growing Bamboo

Here are some environmental facts about growing bamboo plants:

• Bamboo plants can grow successfully without any fertilisers or pesticides.
• Bamboo grows extremely fast - it’s the fastest growing plant on the planet. Bamboo has been known to grow 3 - 4 feet per day!
• Bamboo doesn’t require a lot of water to grow.
• Bamboo is a very hardy plant - it can survive drought conditions and flood conditions.
• Bamboo plants release lots of oxygen into the air. A grove of bamboo release 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees.
• Bamboo is a very earth friendly plant. It can reduce soil erosion and desertization. It can actually improve soil quality in degraded and eroded areas.

Bamboo Fabric

Bamboo fabric is created from the bamboo pulp. It doesn’t need chlorine to bleach it and it can be dyed easily with minimal water requirements. Fabrics that don’t dye easily are often treated with harsh chemicals and much more water, so an organic fabric that dyes easy is generally better for the environment.

And of course, bamboo clothing is 100% biodegradable, so you know your old bamboo garments aren’t going to end up in landfill for hundreds of years along with the other non-biodegradable junk.

Bamboo clothing really is a comfortable and environmentally friendly choice!

Where can I buy Bamboo Clothing?

You might be able to find bamboo clothes at your local organic clothing store. Otherwise, there are plenty of place to order bamboo clothes online.

For example, Amazon.com has a variety of bamboo clothes and other bamboo fiber products.

You might also like to check the comments section below, for readers’ suggestions on bamboo clothing stores.

Stinging nettle fiber can be used to create eco-friendly clothing.

Stinging nettle grows in the wild and is widely known as a weed. Nettle fiber can be spun into a yarn and used as a fabric for clothing and many other uses. Stinging Nettle is a natural moth repellent and nettle fiber has been used for clothing in many cultures.

Here are some examples of what nettle yarn has been used for:

• Nettle is often used in Nepal for backing wool carpets
• Nettle yarn was used in World War 1 and World War 2 as a substitute for cotton yarns that were unavailable
• The uniforms from Napoleon’s Armada were made from nettles
• In Nepal, nettle is used for both fine clothing and for sailcloth

Nettle fibers are hollow, which enable them to provide natural thermal insulation for the winter months or cooler climates. But they are also suitable for summer months or warmer climates too. This is because the yarns can twist themselves to close the hollow core and reduce insulation.

Nettle has not really used in the mass markets until now, but perhaps this will change. Here’s an example of nettle fiber being used as fabric for underwear.