Recycled Plastic & Clothing
Each year, some 8 billion kilograms of plastic waste is thrown into our planet's oceans.
To deal with this enormous environmental challenge, several clothing companies are turning discarded plastic bottles into their latest fashions.
In San Francisco, the Everlane Company has introduced jackets and parkas made from recycled plastic bottles.
The fashion line, called ReNew, has prevented at least 3 million plastic bottles from piling up on beaches and garbage dumps.
According to the company, one small-size woman’s parka requires 55 plastic bottles to create.
Several large companies, including Adidas and H&M, have also jumped on this green trend by introducing fashions made from recycled plastics.
To produce a ReNew jacket, Everlane collects clear plastic bottles, breaks them into tiny chips, and then melts the chips into thin yarns for the fabric.
Everlane’s founder, Michael Preysman emphasized the environmental importance of recycling the bottles, saying “plastics live forever … they never go away.”