Did you know that almost half of the clothing in the world is made from polyester, a stat that’s set to double by 2030? Unfortunately, because polyester is made from plastic (specifically, polyethylene terephthalate, or PET), it’s not so great for the environment.
But, the good news is, more and more polyester is being made from recycled plastic. That goes for a lot of the clothing we produce at Moss, too. Read on to learn more about recycled polyester and what makes it less harmful for the environment.
Recycled polyester is polyester made with post-consumer recycled materials. “Our eco suit is made from recycled plastic bottles,” says Jessica Harris, the Head of Product Technology here at Moss. Because plastic bottles are made from PET, the same thing polyester is made from, they make an ideal material for recycled polyester. The plastic bottles are cleaned and crushed into small pieces, then heated and spun into yarn. That yarn is passed through a machine that makes it fluffy, and it’s knitted into fabric.
“Because it takes hundreds of years to break down,” says Jessica. “But that doesn’t mean that recycled doesn’t either.” While recycled polyester isn’t the best, most eco-friendly alternative to polyester, it’s still utilising waste that would otherwise end up in landfill. It’s always better to use existing plastics rather than making virgin plastic, which is what non-recycled polyester is.
Polyester was invented almost 100 years ago, and it’s since become one of the world’s most popular textiles. There are several reasons for that. “It’s durable, it’s an insulator, it’s quick drying and it’s easy to clean,” explains Jessica. That’s why we use polyester in so many Moss pieces, and why we’re pushing to use more recycled polyester throughout all our collections.
At Moss, we’ve been using recycled polyester for more than three years. “All of our recycled polyester suits have been a success, including the eco suit,” says Jessica. We’re aiming to make more clothes with recycled polyester, because we know our customers don’t just want to look good in their Moss clothes, they also want to feel good about reducing their impact on the planet.
