Recycled Polyester (rPET)
Polyester Dominance and the Rise of rPET
Polyester is the most widely used fiber in the global textile industry, accounting for 54% of all fibers produced. Currently, about 14-15% of this polyester is made from recycled PET (rPET), with projections indicating this will rise to 17% by 2025.
What is rPET?
rPET is derived from clear, high-grade plastic water bottles through a mechanical recycling process. In this process, the bottles are collected, shredded, melted, and then spun into fibers that are used to create yarn.
Cost Considerations
rPET is more expensive than virgin polyester but remains cheaper than most natural fibers. As of the third quarter of 2023, one metric ton of rPET cost $1,602, compared to $1,763 for one metric ton of cotton, the cheapest natural fiber.
rPET in Fashion: A Circular Solution?
rPET is often marketed as a sustainable and circular solution in the fashion industry. Its popularity is due to its accessibility, lower cost, and the fact that mechanical recycling uses less energy than producing virgin polyester.
The Reality of Circular Fashion and rPET
The concept of circular fashion, as defined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, involves:
Multiple Loops of Material Use: True circular fashion should allow materials to be reused multiple times within the same industry. Ideally, this means a fiber-to-fiber recycling model, where old garments are recycled into new ones.
Closed-Loop Recycling: This ensures that the material can be reused without losing quality or being downcycled into lower-value products.
Considering End-of-Life: Circular fashion also takes into account what happens to materials at the end of their lifecycle.
Challenges with rPET
Open-Loop Recycling: rPET is primarily an open-loop process, which means that the life of the material is shortened as it moves from one industry to another. Currently, 61% of plastic bottles used in the food industry are recycled, whereas only 1% of garments are recycled by the fashion industry. This means that rPET often moves materials from a higher recyclability industry (food packaging) to a lower one (fashion).
Increased Demand for Virgin PET: As the fashion industry uses up the finite supply of recyclable bottles, the food industry must rely more on virgin PET to produce new bottles.
Incentivizing Non-Biodegradable Materials: Because rPET is relatively inexpensive, it encourages the use of non-biodegradable, non-recyclable materials in the fashion industry, rather than natural alternatives.
Microplastic Shedding: Garments made from rPET can shed microplastics during washing, contributing to environmental pollution. These microplastics could be avoided if PET were reserved for making new bottles instead.
Conclusion
While rPET offers some benefits as a recycled material, it falls short of the ideals of circular fashion. Its use in the fashion industry raises important questions about sustainability, resource allocation, and the long-term impact of moving materials from a more recyclable industry (food packaging) to a less recyclable one (fashion). Understanding these complexities is crucial for making informed decisions about the materials we choose to support in the pursuit of sustainability.