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If you’ve seen rPET in garment tags and wondered if it’s sustainable, this article is for you. We break down the difference between virgin and recycled polyester to learn how they are and aren’t sustainable.
Polyester has a bad rep. It’s plastic, sourced from fossil fuels, sucks up an estimated 200 million barrels of oil yearly, and sheds into microplastics. But go shopping, and you’ll quickly realize, from sporty activewear to comfy everyday tops, it’s hard to avoid. From fast fashion to high-end brands, polyester is everywhere. And, as brands begin to embrace ethical supply chains, low-impact materials, and other sustainable initiatives, a new style of polyester is beginning to pop up more often too- recycled polyester. So, the question to ask as responsible consumers is, “Is recycled polyester a good material and is it really better?”
Weaving old plastic water bottles into new clothes sounds like an amazing way to cut down on waste. Some designers champion it as a way to use fewer resources and reduce CO2 emissions. But much like plastic recycling has been promoted as a deceptive waste management tactic, some climate experts fear that recycled polyester isn’t necessarily a better alternative. So, it sparks questions about its validity as a sustainable material. So, we’re going to dig deeper to learn if it truly is a more sustainable choices for our closets.
What is Polyester?
Polyester is a type of plastic. If you want to sound fancy, it’s a man-made plastic-based fabric or a synthetic polymer (a material of large molecules) sourced from petroleum, a naturally occurring fossil fuel, that is spun into plastic fibers. These fibers can have a variety of different properties- durability, moisture wicking, heat retention- and it’s relatively cheap to make compared to natural materials. This is why it’s virtually everywhere, from bedding to your curtains, to your carpets and clothes. It’s even the preferred material for products like seatbelts or ropes.
Environmental Impact
Because polyester is derived from crude oil and natural gas, it comes with a lot of problems. These are non-renewable resources and require an energy- and chemical-intensive refining process that has irreversible consequences on our planet:
- Resource Consumption: Turning petroleum into polyester fibers needs tons of energy and water. By some estimates, our yearly production of polyester requires 342 million barrels of oil yearly and 50 liters of water, and 125 MJ of energy per kilogram.
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions: In 2015, polyester production emitted 282 billion kg of CO2, nearly three times as much as cotton. When factories burn fuel for energy, they release greenhouse gases like CO2 that trap heat in our atmosphere, contributing to rising temperatures, erratic weather, and climate change.
- Chemical Use: Polyester production is a chemically intensive process. When not handled properly, some of these chemicals used for dyeing and finishing can release toxins and heavy metals into local communities, polluting water resources and soil.
- Microplastics: Plastic does not degrade naturally. Instead, it breaks down into tiny particles that stay in the environment for hundreds or perhaps thousands of years. It’s estimated that all plastic created since the 1950s is still around today. And, polyester clothing releases up to 700,000 microplastic fibers during a single load of laundry. These are two of the contributing factors to why microplastics are found on every inch of our planet today, from fetuses to our drinking water.
What is Recycled Polyester (rPET)?
Recycled polyester, or rPET, is a fabric made from old plastic. Most often, they’re post-consumer items like plastic water bottles or old fishing nets. Sometimes these items are sourced from ocean cleanups to reduce pollution and remove the tons of plastic waste harming our water resources. These plastic items are turned into small plastic chips that are then melted down and spun into threads that become fabric for clothes.
Environmental Benefits
Recycled polyester is a good material when compared with virgin polyester, as it alleviates some of the environmental problems of making new materials.
- Reduced Reliance on Resources: Recycling old materials prevents the need to dig up new resources like oil. It also saves water and mitigates water pollution since there is no need for oil extraction, refining, and production.
- Reduced CO2 emissions: Some studies estimate that recycled polyester can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 85% when compared to virgin polyester.
- Waste Diversion: Every plastic bottle turned into rPET is one less bottle in a landfill or polluting our oceans.
Environmental Concerns
Even with its good points, recycled polyester is not a perfect sustainable solution. It still has its own set of problems to consider:
- Chemical Virginity: While the plastic source is recycled, the process to turn it into fiber might still need new chemicals. Sometimes, it also takes a lot of energy for this step. This means it is not a completely “clean” process.
- Downcycling Concerns: Most rPET is “downcycled.” This means it becomes something with a lower value. Take, for instance, when a plastic bottle becomes a T-shirt. But that shirt is very hard to recycle again into another shirt and will eventually end up in a landfill. This is not a true circular cycle where items are endlessly recycled or can degrade naturally.
- Microplastics: Recycled polyester clothes still shed microplastics. Just like new polyester, tiny fibers come off when you wash them.
Is Recycled Polyester A Good Material?
So, is recycled polyester the perfect answer? Not quite. It is a step up from brand-new polyester because it reduces the need for drilling for fossil fuels and plastic waste. But it still sheds microplastics, and at the moment it cannot be endlessly recycled, so it’ll eventually end up as waste.
When it comes to shopping sustainably, the best options are still simple choices. Buy fewer clothes, especially those made from synthetic materials. Instead, opt for natural materials like organic cotton, linen, and wool that use fewer resources and degrade naturally. Support sustainable brands. Properly care for and repair what we own so it lasts longer. These small choices make a big difference in the long run to reduce the fashion industry’s impact- water pollution, CO2 emissions, microplastics, and textile waste. And, until recycled polyester becomes a good material, they’re a better bet for building a sustainable wardrobe.