Attention all environmental, fashion, and sustainability enthusiasts!!

For this reader, we're diving deep into the sustainable materials that we use in our products and their conventional alternatives. We will explain what our materials are, how they are made, what their impact is, and how we use them in our products. 

While the subject matter might be a little technical, we have researched, combined, and explained this data with the reader in mind. Communicating sustainability education in a sharable way is important to us!

Polyester

The first fiber we will be discussing is polyester, also known as PET or polyethylene terephthalate. Polyester is a type of plastic that is made from petroleum-based chemicals that can be turned into a synthetic fiber.

To turn this crude oil-based plastic into fabric, the plastic must be melted and extruded through small holes as continuous “filament” fiber. It is immediately cooled down to retain its thin threadlike shape. This fiber is turned into yarn, which is then turned into fabric.

As of 2022, polyester is the most popular fiber and accounts for over half of the total global fiber market, making up 54% of all fibers produced. 

However, with this vast amount of new plastic fiber being generated, there are environmental concerns such as the consumption of fossil fuels and the “forever” waste that is created when polyester textile products are landfilled. 

To combat this, the industry began to create ways to make recycled polyester or rPET. 

Recycled polyester fiber is formed in the same way as conventional polyester fiber, but instead of making new material from fossil fuels, it utilizes already existing plastic waste! 99% of recycled polyester that is made, comes from post-consumer PET bottles, aka plastic bottles that consumers recycle. Utilizing already existing materials significantly decreases the environmental impact of creating the fiber, proving that one person’s trash truly can be another person’s treasure! 

rPET Process from Bottle to Garment

We’ve included some environmental impact data that compares the extraction of recycled polyester from waste bottles with the extraction of virgin (new) polyester. 

• Recycled polyester uses 89% less water than new polyester

• Recycled polyester produces 130% less kg of greenhouse gases than new polyester

• Recycled polyester releases 262% less g phosphates eq than new polyester *Accumulation of phosphates and nitrates released by pesticides, fertilizers, detergents, and other chemicals in an ecosystem results in eutrophication which can cause harmful algal blooms, dead zones, and fish kills. 

• Recycled polyester uses 88% less fossil fuel-derived energy than new polyester

*This data is from BCome’s stage comparator which compares the average data for extraction of 1 kg of raw material from global origin.

Although recycled polyester is better for the environment, unfortunately, it is not widely used in the industry. As of 2022, recycled polyester represents only 13.6% of global polyester production- about 7% of total global fiber production.

Cotton

The next fiber we will be talking about is cotton. Cotton is a cellulosic plant fiber that surrounds the seeds of cotton plants, which emerge in a round, fluffy formation once the seeds are mature. The plant naturally produces biodegradable staple (short) fibers that can be spun into yarn. 

Cotton is the most popular plant fiber, making up over 81% of global plant fiber production. However, since the creation of synthetic fibers, cotton continues to occupy less of the overall global fiber market. As of 2022, it encompassed 22% of total global fiber production.

While conventional cotton is “natural” and biodegradable, it is not without its environmental downsides. 

While cotton farms utilize 3% of the world’s suitable growing land, they account for 4.7% of global pesticide and 10% of global insecticides sales. Global production of cotton is also estimated to require 8 million tonnes of fertilizers annually. 

Additionally, depending on where cotton is grown, it can require more water. For example, cotton farmers in the U.S. Southeast use 234 liters of irrigated water per kilogram of cotton on average, whereas farmers in the West use 3,272 liters.

There are more sustainable cotton fiber variations that address both of these environmental concerns- the first being recycled cotton. 

Recycled cotton is made from cotton-rich pre-consumer, post-consumer, or post-industrial textile waste. The discarded cotton fabric can be processed in 2 ways: mechanically or chemically. 

Mechanical Recycling Stages for Recycled Cotton

Mechanical recycling entails sorting and cleaning the materials, shredding them, and finally carding (detangling) and spinning them into yarn. Chemical recycling entails using dissolution, hydrolysis, or pressure to break down the textiles into their chemical components, in this case, cellulose. 

We’ve included some environmental impact data that compares the extraction of recycled cotton with the extraction of conventional (regular nonorganic) cotton.

• Recycled cotton uses 100% less water than conventional cotton

• Recycled cotton produces 92% less kg of greenhouse gases than conventional cotton

• Recycled cotton releases 100% less g phosphates eq than conventional cotton

• Recycled cotton uses 89% less fossil fuel-derived energy than conventional cotton

*This data is from BCome’s stage comparator which compares the average data for extraction of 1 kg of raw material from global origin.

Although recycled cotton is better for the environment, unfortunately, it is also not widely used in the industry. As of 2022, recycled cotton represents 1% of global cotton production- about 0.22% of total global fiber production. 

Lastly, we’ll touch on organic cotton. Growing organic cotton prohibits the use of certain harmful chemical insecticides, pesticides, and fertilizers in an attempt to limit emissions, and soil and water pollution. Organic cotton is slightly more popular than recycled cotton, comprising about 1.4% of the global cotton market- about 0.31% of total global fiber production. 

Recover uses US-grown USDA-certified organic cotton that follows these crop standards. US-grown organic cotton is even more scarce as it comprises only 2% of the organic cotton market, making it less than 0.007% of the entire global fiber market.

We’ve included some environmental impact data that compares the extraction of organic cotton with the extraction of conventional (regular nonorganic) cotton.

• Organic cotton uses 100% less water consumption than conventional cotton

• Organic cotton produces 81% less kg of greenhouse gases  than conventional cotton

• Organic cotton releases 13% less g phosphates eq than conventional cotton

• Organic cotton uses 94% less fossil fuel-derived energy than conventional cotton

*This data is from BCome’s stage comparator which compares the average data for extraction of 1 kg of raw material from global origin.

The Recover Difference

At Recover, we utilize 100% recycled polyester and 100% recycled cotton, both certified through the Recycled Claim Standard 100 and Global Recycled Standard. Additionally, we use 100% US-grown organic cotton that is USDA certified.

Our Materials, Fabrics, and Products:

• We utilize a 50/50 blend of 100% recycled post-industrial cotton and 100% recycled post-consumer polyester for our products that are in the Classic Collection

• We utilize a 60/40 blend of 100% recycled post-industrial cotton and 100% recycled post-consumer polyester for our products that are in the Eco and Fleece Collections

• We utilize 100% recycled post-consumer polyester for products that are in our Sport and Sport Elite Collections

• We utilize USDA-certified 100% organic cotton for all products in our Organic Collection

We are committed to making a difference in helping the earth recover by making our products with materials that help limit resource use and pollution while diverting waste from landfills- as well as sharing sustainability education with our community!

If interested in recycling your old t-shirts into new Recover t-shirts, check out our 360॰ Closed Loop Program and purchase a Closed Loop Program Mailer or see how your organization can participate in the program HERE.