Fashion boom in recycled plastic comes with a price tag
If you’ve browsed the internet for new swimwear this summer, you may have come across the latest sustainable fashion trends. Bikinis and trunks made from PET bottles are diverted from the sea on the surface.
According to the Retail Intelligence Platform Edited, across online retailers in the United States and the United Kingdom, the amount of swimwear and activewear described as containing recycled compounds is 2 in the year to June compared to 2020. It has more than doubled.
Plastic waste pervades virtually every sector. Sneaker brands, from Nike and Adidas to “sustainable” labels such as Veja and Greats, rely on sneakers for green qualifications.
Couture designers have created quirky plastic appear Make a statement on the runway.This year, Japanese designer Tomo Koizumi Indicated Balloon gum Pink, yellow, blue voluminous recycled plastic organza dress. In 2019, Prada re-released its iconic 90’s nylon bag as a recycled version.
You can also buy all of this with an Amex credit card Made From plastic waste.
The boom definitely started about 15 years ago. American manufacturer Unifi launched recycled polyester fibers in 2007, making outdoor garment companies Patagonia and Polartec the first customers of fleece outerwear, which has become a meme in the financial industry.
Today, fiber accounts for nearly 40% of sales, and about 800 brands incorporate fiber. The rest of Unifi’s products are so-called virgin synthetics.
Switching to recycled polyester is an efficient choice in terms of its direct impact on the environment. According to the industry’s non-profit Textile Exchange, greenhouse gas emissions are about 70% lower than virgin polyester.
“”Recycled raw materials are a great option, especially if your brand is about to make a significant impact on emission reductions. Siena Shepherd, Climate Strategy Manager for Textile Exchange, said:
Like most sustainability trends, this is problematic. Recycled plastic swimwear can eventually be landfilled or returned to the sea as microplastics flow into the water system as a result of washing.
But a more pressing issue for fashion brands is the rising cost of recycled plastics.
The same plastics needed to make garments (recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastics, or rPETs) already have a greedy market. It is the packaging of recycled consumer goods.
Supply is also tight, thanks in part to the world’s terrible recycling capacity.
Globally, plastic recycling rates are estimated at 14-18%. OECD.. In the United States, only 30% of PET bottles are recycled. US Environmental Protection Agency..
“In recent years, the increased use of recycled polyester has made procurement costs more competitive than virgin polyester,” said Adidas, which has switched 60% of its polyester to recycled inventory.
Until 2019, the price of rPET used to make recycled polyester was € 1,050 per ton, about € 200 cheaper than virgin PET. Currently, the price has jumped to 1,435 euros. The more expensive and often transparent food grade rPETs used in the packaging of consumables cost € 1,800 per ton.
For fast fashion groups where USP aims to produce clothing as cheaply and quickly as possible, paying additional cents for recycled polyester will start to increase the total. $ 5 T-shirt.
and Research According to the Royal Society for Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce, recycled compounds from PrettyLittleThing’s subsidiaries Asos, Boohoo, and Missguided were found in only 3% of the UK-based growing group.
H & M, the world’s second-largest fashion retailer and owner of Cos, Arket, and the Other Stories and Weekday brands, will use materials that are 100% recycled and procured in a sustainable manner by 2030. I promised that. Recycled material.
“We aim to increase the use of recycled polyester each year,” H & M said. “We always set ambitious goals, which are based on the expertise of our own sustainability team and various partners, which makes our goals realistic. At the same time, it becomes ambitious. “
Ben Brooks, a leader in recycled plastics at S & P Global Platts, said:
New taxes on virgin PET could further boost demand for rPET.
This year, the EU will introduce taxes on unused plastic packaging, and the UK will collect 30% recycled content-free packaging by April 2022.
Some textile manufacturers and plastic giants are beginning to acquire their own recycling capabilities accordingly.
Indorama Ventures, the world’s largest PET producer, received $ 300 million loan The International Finance Corporation is helping to expand the recycling capacity of PET bottles to 750,000 metric tons per year by 2025.
Another major PET producer, DAK Americas, Acquired US rPET facility in 2019. Dow, a chemical group, has partnered with recycling company Mura Technology to procure rPET from a new facility in Teaside, England.
Unifi, a pioneer in the industry, also owns a PET bottle recycling facility in North Carolina. “To increase the supply of this waste, consumers, businesses and governments need to work together to increase recycling rates,” said Jay Hartwig, vice president of commercialization.
Even if fashion brands reach their recycling content goals and the world increases their recycling capabilities, another long-term problem is imminent. That is, recycled polyester itself cannot be mechanically recycled. Like most unused plastics, it will probably be a landfill.
The only way to achieve large-scale fiber-to-fiber recycling is Chemical recyclingThe process of breaking down plastic waste into chemicals or oils and providing raw materials for future plastics.
Petrochemical companies such as Shell, Dow and Indorama are all investing in chemical recycling technology.Some start-ups such as Wear againSpecializes in chemical recycling from textiles to textiles.
Rob Steer, Chief Petrochemical Analyst at S & P Global Platts, said:
but, “[these] Since we’ve been away from large-scale commercial activities for years, carbon dioxide emissions are probably quite poor and expensive, “Stiers adds. “Yes, it meets the demand, but how much does it cost?”
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