Recycled Clothing: The 5 Biggest Questions Answered
Recycled clothing is a term that's made its way into the fashion industry in recent years, and has crept into the hearts and minds of your average consumer as a result. While some are well-versed in its meaning and intricacies, others are looking for answers.
Here are the Internet's 5 biggest questions surrounding recycled clothing:
What is recycled clothing?
How are recycled clothes made?
Is recycled clothing sustainable?
Is recycled clothing safe?
Why is recycled clothing important?
Maybe you already know the ins and outs of recycled apparel, or perhaps this is your first time looking for the answers - regardless, this article will give you arm you with simple answers to big questions on the matter.
Answering the Internet's 5 Biggest Questions On Recycled Clothing
1. What is Recycled Clothing?
There are two types of recycled clothing: pre-consumer and post-consumer. Pre-consumer clothes are created from fabrics and materials that never interacted with consumers, while post-consumer clothes have been previously worn or come from consumer waste.
Recycled clothing from a pre-consumer state often includes fabric that was originally produced for a garment but was never used, trimmings that were cut away during the construction process, and scraps from manufacturing facilities.
Whereas post-consumer recycled clothing includes a wide range of materials outside of the fashion industry that find a second life as a clothing fiber, as well as clothes that have been sent to textile recycling facilities.
Regardless of the "pre" or "post" label, for clothing to be considered recycled, it must be sourced, collected, and processed into new clothes.
What Are Recycled Clothes Made From?
Recycled clothes are made from a variety of materials, but the most common type of recycled clothing comes from plastic water bottles, which are processed into recycled polyester. Other popular materials include nylon and denim.
From plastic water bottles to denim, discarded synthetic materials and preloved organic materials can make a comeback as stylish, recycled clothing.
Can Clothing Be Made Out of Recycled Plastic?
Clothing can be made from certain recycled plastics, the most widely used method is converting plastic water bottles into recycled polyester. However, once the plastic is downcycled into clothing, that's most often the last time it can be recycled.
This stems from downcycled plastics losing their original properties, which degrades the quality after each cycle. But the one exception here would be garments made from 100% PET (recycled polyester) - if it's purely recycled polyester, then it can continue to be recycled.
So in general, yes, certain plastics that are being recycled for the first time can make clothing - and in the case of recycled polyester, it can have the same quality as typical polyester, just a more eco-friendly alternative.
But at a literal level, recycled plastic is most likely unable to convert into clothing, since the quality may deteriorate too much at that point.
2. How Are Recycled Clothes Made?
The journey begins with the sourcing of recycled materials, which as you know, can come from pre-consumer or post-consumer waste.
Pre-consumer waste is often sourced from textile manufacturing facilities, while post-consumer waste typically comes from things like household items, office products, and construction debris.
This is what the process looks like for three of the most recognizable materials.
Converting Plastic Bottles Into Recycled Polyester
First, the bottles are cleaned and cut into small flakes
From there, the flakes are melted and formed into small pellets
These pellets are then spun into thread, then woven as fabric
There's certainly different mileage based on the item created, but in general, a standard t-shirt could be made with 6-10 single-use water bottles.
In the case of Toad & Co., a recycled polyester t-shirt, it would take around 9 plastic water bottles to create.
Recycling Nylon
1. Nylon materials are collected and sorted
2. The materials are then cleaned and melted down into pellets
3. These pellets are used to spin new yarn, which is then woven into fabric
4. Finally, the fabric is cut and sewn into clothing
While nylon can be recycled, and it's certainly a positive thing for the environment compared to creating virgin nylon, the process is difficult, expensive, and far less common than creating something like recycled polyester.
Nylon is a common material for outerwear, and in that case, would typically have a coating applied for water repellency. This form is nearly impossible to recycle. Additionally, nylon is commonly blended with other fibers, which is also a hurdle for recycling.
Giving Old Jeans A Second Chance
1. Denim is collected and sorted by color, type, and quality
2. The denim is then cleaned of debris
4. The denim textile is then shredded or garnetted into smaller pieces of 1 to 8cm
5. Single fibers are then picked and pulled from the fabric and fed into a conveyor
6. Fibers are then connected into a thread, and the weaving of new denim begins
While this is strictly the mechanical recycling of denim, there are a few other approaches, like chemical recycling, or even more manual versions of mechanical that would apply to a more cottage industry approach.
But at scale, mechanical recycling of denim is the most common and would follow the simplified steps above.
A study published in 2020 found that pre-consumer denim, that is scrap or unused denim sourced from the supply chain, was found to have a significantly higher quality of recycled fibers than post-consumer waste.
3. Is Recycled Clothing Sustainable?
Recycled clothing is sustainable, but there are varying degrees of sustainability, dependent on the sourced material and the desired fiber. Recycling something like denim is far more sustainable than recycling water bottles into recycled polyester, but both are still considered sustainable.
The more significant challenge to recycled clothing is the circularity of fashion. That is when clothing is recycled, how does someone ensure it doesn't end up in a landfill or the natural environment?
This is the idea behind closed-loop recycling, which is a process where clothes are recycled back into the same fiber, over and over again. While this is the ideal, it's not always possible, and in many cases, clothes are downcycled into a lower-quality fiber or material.
Additionally, while recycled clothing is sustainable, it's not always the most environmentally friendly option. In some cases, it might be more environmentally friendly to simply donate an item of clothing or purchase something second-hand, rather than recycle it.
4. Is Recycled Clothing Safe to Wear?
In general, recycled clothing is considered safe to wear, but there's growing concern regarding synthetic fibers, like recycled polyester. This stems from potentially toxic plastics touching your skin, as well as the release of microplastics from machine-washing clothing.
The logic behind recycled polyester being safe to wear comes down to its source and purpose. It's created from a former plastic water bottle, which is PET.
And while you might have some concerns about what others would think is safe and not safe, the general concept is that if it's good enough for drinking water and other beverages, then in a different form, like a shirt, it's probably okay too.
While there's very little to safeguard from that, it's universally accepted as a safe material to wear, and not a major deterrent for consumer purchase decisions.
5. Why is Recycled Clothing Important?
The most notable reason recycled clothing is important is its environmental impact. Particularly as it relates to recycled polyester. With the same quality standards as virgin polyester, which is the most used fabric in the world, recycled polyester has 32% less emissions.
For synthetic materials, recycling should not be the first option.
The most eco-friendly option would be sourcing an organic material altogether - leaving the recycling of PET water bottles into recycled polyester as the last option, only better than creating virgin polyester.
However, the process of recycling clothes conserves water and energy, reduces pollution, and ultimately cuts down on the amount of waste that goes to landfills or pollutes the natural environment. Which are all positives, even for a synthetic recycling effort in recycled polyester.
Recycled Clothing Is Critical For Brand and Consumer
As a brand, or someone considering a startup in the apparel space, outside of environmental factors, it's important to consider the consumer's perspective on recycled clothing.
Recycled clothes have broad appeal for today's consumer, as it's seen as sustainable and environmentally friendly.
However, some may view it as less stylish or of lower quality than other clothing options. It's important to evaluate how important sustainability is to the potential customer base, and how believable it is for your brand, before deciding to invest in recycled clothing.
Many brands have built their entire businesses on recycled apparel - and have done so successfully. Certain consumer segments are interested in being sustainable and supporting brands with eco-friendly practices.
But being eco-friendly isn't limited to recycled clothing, sustainable clothing in its purest form starts at the source and the original material chosen.
Which gives brands the flexibility to meet the needs of unique consumer segments, and still rally around sustainable clothing practices.