Do you think Recycled Polyester fiber is good for environment?

Priyal Verma

Student | Posted on 24-Apr-2019

With trees being cut down,forests being burned and the ozone layer depleting,climate change is hitting us with a staggering high speed. It has become imperative for every living person to move towards a sustainable life and use products that are eco friendly. Products that do not cause harm to our already harmed environment.

Recycled polyester is something that has recently come up with eco fashion.

It is not at all considered a sustainable textile option as it uses the raw material PET found in plastic bottles,etc. It is said to be toxic for both the environment and the one who's wearing it. The whole process of recycling PET is affecting the environment adversely,some say that it is also a cancer-causing substance.

They do keep away the plastic from coming into the ocean and also keeps it from piling up in the landfills. But what it's actually doing to the environment is much worse than it being able to do any good. This will remain as a non biodegradable waste or may be incinerated releasing harmful chemicals. Hence in conclusion, it is far from sustainable.

Buzz On Earth

Environment Lover | Posted on 25-Sep-2020

Being the most produced fabric in the world after cotton, polyester is used widely in making fabrics and is quite popular among people. Being aware of the fact that polyester is indeed a fabric which is non- sustainable and energy-consuming fabric. But what if we tell you that there is this option of green polyester known as the recycled polyester which is a sustainable alternative to the virgin polyester and is environment friendly. The concept of recycled polyester started when Nike produced apparel’s for the World Cup in 2010 made from recycled polyester.

The recycled polyester fabric is better and good for the environment in comparison to the basic polyester. The recycled polyester uses PET as a raw material which is the same as used in making the water bottles and recycling it to make the fabric so that it can be prevented from choking the landfills. The process of making recycled polyester fabric from the PET bottles is energy efficient as compared to the regular polyester. It has its own set of advantages. The recycled polyester reduces our dependency on petroleum as a raw material which protects the environment. It also helps in reducing the air and soil pollution as it minimises the landfill and plastic waste by converting the PET bottles into recycled fabric.

Another advantage with the recycled polyester is that it can be recycled and reused again and again many times which minimises the wastage of material. Comparing it with the most loved fabric by all, cotton also makes it more desirable as recycled polyester doesn’t require agricultural land and doesn’t consume a lot of water like cotton. Again, no animals are harmed during the making of recycled polyester, which is not the case with other fabrics like silk. Fabrics like cotton and silk will take thousands of years to decompose, which is not the case with recycled polyester, which can be recycled and reused again. This shows how environmentally friendly the recycled polyester fabric is.

The textile industry is a big business all around the world and the waste generated every year is enormous. It impacts the environment to a large extent. Therefore, innovations like recycled polyester fabric that can be recycled and reused will be significant for the textile industry. The manufacturers are now converting the old polyester into new raw materials to make garments. This way, they conserve energy, produce less waste and create less pollution. To be crisp, they are environment friendly.

Talking of innovation in the field of polyester, Patagonia was the first to use recycled plastic bottles in 1993. They have been the pioneers of using recycled polyester into their products. There are many such companies and brands which are now using recycled polyester fabric in making their garments. With the changing scenario in the fashion industry, the demand for sustainable fashion is on a high and using recycled polyester fabric is one such step.

Conclusion

We have been avoiding the polyester fabric while purchasing garments, but such innovations have changed our mindset and thinking about the material. We can now consider making it a wardrobe staple and be proud of owning one as it is environmentally friendly and reducing the carbon footprint.