I bought slacks made out of recycled bottles
I didn’t realize it when I bought some new slacks at Target, but the label says the fabric is made of recycled bottles, to the tune of 60%.
I bought the pants because they fit (not always an easy thing to find) and are very comfortable. Part of what seems to lead to that comfort is the material, which is smooth and soft but resilient. I had no idea it had anything to do with recycled bottles, but if they’ve figured out a way to do that, then great.
They certainly weren’t expensive, either.
And lo and behold, here’s how it’s done:
Unifi, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, produces 300 million pounds of polyester and nylon yarn annually.
“As a manufacturer, we asked ourselves what we could do to be more innovative and a socially responsible company,” said Hertwig.
Repreve was the answer. It’s the firm’s flagship fiber brand made from recycled materials…
The company collects clear plastic bottles from processors around the country who first shred them into plastic flakes.
“We purchase these plastic flakes and convert them into small pellets,” said Hertwig. The pellets are then melted, extruded and spun into polyester yarn.
Repreve makes three types of recycled yarn: 100% from used plastic bottles, a hybrid of plastic bottles and fiber waste, and a hybrid of plastic bottles and used fabric…
“If it’s made from PET, we can recycle it,” said Hertwig. “This is all about educating consumers that high-quality products can be made from recycled waste.”
That article was from three years ago, but I hadn’t heard of the process till today. I’m not sure that my new slacks were made from fiber manufactured by Repreve, but it’s obviously some similar process, and I would indeed call it a “high-quality product.”
I didn’t buy it because of the recycling, I bought it because I liked the pants and the fabric. Recycling’s just the icing on the cake, but if more of this sort of thing can be done, then bravo.
A great deal of recycling is presently so messed up that a lot of what people think is being recycled actually ends up in landfills. Plus, most of the plastic waste causing problems is generated by the third world, not the US. But still, if there’s a way to make use of some portion of what’s recycled and to actually make the process cost-effective—and create a good product into the bargain—I’m all for it.
[NOTE: And here are the pants. I’m almost positive those are the ones, although the website doesn’t tout the recycled angle. They’re pretty basic, but the great thing about them is the fit and the comfort.]
Very interesting! I’ll keep putting PET (recycling code #1) in the recycling bin, then, if it’s actually going to be used.
I despise Target. For many, many reasons. Stay out of their web.
Many products have been advertised as being made with a percentage of recycled material. Not to be silly but as an honest question can recycled material be recycled in turn? I would think so, but do not know for a fact. If that is the case it would be a good thing.
M:
My understanding, which could be wrong, is that each time it gets recycled it degrades in terms of whether it can be used again, and for what.
I read recently that scientists now have an enzyme that can break down plastics into their original components, which can then be used to make any type of new plastics. It will take a while to scale the system up so that it can be used commercially, but it is coming.
I bet the scientists who discovered this did not take Fridays of from school to save the planet.
Boss…GV beat me to it.
Shopping at Target?
Did you have a friend guard the door to the “Ladies’ Room” because I’m told they let guys in there…among other things.
No mas…
Patagonia fleeces have been made from recycled plastic for some time.
I wouldn’t, myself, go into a Target fitting room or bathroom, but then, nothing at Target fits me anyhow, so my staying away doesn’t have much impact. Many women of small or average height are able to buy nice-looking, inexpensive clothing there. I just hope they look out for themselves in the dressing room.
In LA, plastic glasses recycled from women’s pants are the new hot thing.
It’s a twofer niche: environmentalists and fetishists together as one. California harmony.
neo: The pants do look nice and better, from what I can tell, than what my imagination supplies when I imagine slacks made from recycled plastic bottles.
I too am all for technological progress. I too will never again shop at Target.
I read recently that scientists now have an enzyme that can break down plastics into their original components, which can then be used to make any type of new plastics.
expat: I’m waiting for the breakthroughs when we can design Rumplestiltksin bacteria to convert junk into goodies. We already have designer bugs producing insulin since the 1970s, but the tech is not a magic wand just yet.
Perhaps just as well. A bacteria loose in the world dissolving plastic everywhere could be a real problem.
What’s the problem with Target? TG bathrooms? Lax digital security?
Huxley:
“Plastics” encompasses a large range of molecules and formulation and properties. This is a good introduction https://pslc.ws/macrog/maindir.htm
I’m not too worried about a specific enzyme getting “loose.”
om: Enzymes are catalysts. Bacteria are “alive” in their fashion.
Here’s a nice list of “Scary Diseases Caused By Bacteria” starting with the horrifying flesh-eating bacteria:
https://www.thoughtco.com/scary-diseases-caused-by-bacteria-373276
I think one is allowed to worry about GMO bacteria.
And, God forbid you are ever in a fire will they turn into melted plastic on your legs?
huxley:
The edit function is sorely missed. Worry all you want, but it is progress after all. 😉
Well regarding retardant properties of polymers, you can always dress in wool. Or
Nomex …..
https://giphy.com/gifs/the-graduate-plastics-theres-a-great-future-in-1xnQ1HzTZxf8RtjyCb
Good thing we don’t have composite materials such as graphite /epoxy thermoset plastics for aerospace, automotive, or recreational (bicycles, ect.) uses. Or other composite/plastic materials for military uses as mundane as helmets and body armor. What will the future hold? Then again there are the very scary 3d printed guns that have the Democrats “concerned.” 😉 Progress!
om: So you don’t get the difference between life and chemicals and want to snark at me further.
Good to know.
hyxley:
So you assume I don’t know the difference between enzymes, catalysts, and bacteria. But it would appear you have no sense of humor tonight. That’s not progress. : 0
Good idea. They do indeed use plastic waste for a lot of things. Next time you see those plastic bollards, that’s recycled plastic.
That said, I can’t stand artificial fibres on my body. I get all itchy, sweaty, and after a few hours develop a rash. So I stick with cotten, linen, and on occasion wool (can’t afford natural silk).
I think it’s great that we can get so much mileage out of recycled stuff now. I’ve lately been pondering (not well) the cafeteria plasticware and such that’s “made from plants”. The wrappers for the plasticware packets are such funny things – crinkly as the dickens, so they make a lot of noise in the office, but compostable.
I expected to see see-through pants when you said they were made from recycled plastic bottles. Glad to see they were not!
F:
Like the infamous yoga pants? TMI
Yoga pants are the new slacks, the slack slacks. Now regular slacks (womens’ less formal pants that are not jeans but not part of a suit), are office work pants.
AMartel:
I never wear yoga pants or anything like them, although I do sometimes wear tight jeans.
For women of a certain age, yoga pants are a terrible idea. Actually, I think they look awful on everyone, but awful in different ways. On those with anything but perfect bodies, they are unflattering and yet very revealing. On those with perfect bodies, they look good but very revealing. I cannot imagine feeling comfortable walking down the street in them. But I am a dinosaur.
Speaking of science, I happened to run across an interesting idea the other day, in an article that was lamenting about how there had not been a lot of real progress recently in theoretical physics.
The author was saying that they thought that the lack of progress was due to the fact that theoreticians had the idea that any new ideas or solutions had to be “pretty,” had to be symmetrical–all nice and neat–whereas his thought was that since reality is messy, why shouldn’t this “messiness” be reflected in theoretical constructs and solutions?
It’s great to get more stuff from recycled stuff. The policy question is whether plastic bottles should have a required deposit — so it becomes worth it to turn them into a collection site. I sort of think that’s not a crazy idea, nor merely virtue signaling, but it does increase gov’t & bureaucracy.
I’m also looking forward to recycling sorting robots, that can work (all day and all night) with human garbage, and separate plastic, cans, etc.
Human waste mountains are certain to become, in some not-too-distant technological time, a resource to be exploited. A bit like small iron smelters have really cleaned up the junk cars, tho there are still lots of them.
I think recycled bottles onto shoes makes more aesthetic sense, and is already available in Slovakia.
RT: “And, God forbid you are ever in a fire will they turn into melted plastic on your legs?” When I fly I wear (cotton) jeans and running shoes, just in case I have to slide down one of those chutes and run fast.
Kate:
A woman who worked in my office had just that opportunity: she was on a hijacked aircraft, and at one point during negotiations on the ground, several guys in the middle of the plane distracted the hijackers and pulled the emergency evacuation levers. She was out the window very quickly and ran out along the wing, then scooted herself to the edge to drop to the ground. Just as she got ready to push off she heard the woman in front of her hit the ground, clearly breaking both ankles. It was too late to turn back, so she jumped. No breaks, but a good story!
Tom G on July 6, 2019 at 5:33 pm said:
It’s great to get more stuff from recycled stuff. The policy question is whether plastic bottles should have a required deposit —
* * *
Some of the EBT money you fork over through your taxes is used to buy water, milk, or soda in bottles with deposits – the liquid is dumped, and the bottles returned for the cash. Takes a lot of bottles to be worth much, though; apparently most people just use it immediately to buy beer or other non-EBT goods.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-government-tries-to-stop-food-stamp-water-dumping-fraud
Thanks for that story, F, and that’s one of the reasons I fly prepared to run. I think I’d sit and slide off the wing, trying to minimize the distance I’d fall. But broken ankles would be better than being murdered by hijackers.
“But I am a dinosaur.”
Not buying it. Pictures or you’re not telling the whole truth.
😀
Snow on Pine on July 6, 2019 at 4:02 pm said:
Speaking of science, I happened to run across an interesting idea the other day, in an article that was lamenting about how there had not been a lot of real progress recently in theoretical physics.
The author was saying that they thought that the lack of progress was due to the fact that theoreticians had the idea that any new ideas or solutions had to be “pretty,” had to be symmetrical–all nice and neat–whereas his thought was that since reality is messy, why shouldn’t this “messiness” be reflected in theoretical constructs and solutions?
The problem in theoretical physics won’t be resolved until quantum physics, magnetism, and some other things, kill off classical physics for good. The Old Guard, including all the leftist/conservative professors, need to go first.