Are you usually thrown off when you read the word “polyester” on a garment? Well, you aren’t alone. This unsustainable, synthetic fibre is one of the most used fabrics in the world. Precisely, the fashion industry produces 8,323 kg of polyester every second, or around 240 million tonnes per year. A statistic we find alarming considering its negative impact on the planet, and non-biodegradable characteristics.

While we always strive to use natural fibres sometimes it’s necessary to use something man-made. In those cases, we make sure it is as sustainable as possible. This is why instead of traditional polyester; we have chosen the use of Recycled PET as part of our commitment to remove single use plastic from our product line (check out our Quick Guide: Komodo’s Journey Towards Zero Plastic).

In short, Recycled PET is recycled plastic coming from used water bottles and other plastic containers. This man-made fabric uses existing plastic which is then converted into synthetic fibres used in garment production.

The most significant difference is that Recycled PET uses existing plastic as the raw material and starting point for making garments, whereas, the raw materials for traditional polyester come from crude oil and natural gas. The process of converting PET (plastic) into Recycled PET requires significantly lower amounts of energy than in the case of making traditional polyester. 33%-53% less energy to be exact!

Can you guess which one is more sustainable? Just to give you a clue, 5 recycled water bottles can create enough fibre for an extra-large T-shirt without using any new resources.

Recycled PET extends the lifecycle of a material that is not biodegradable that would otherwise end up in the ocean or landfills and it does not add onto the 150 million metric tons of plastic already swarming marine environments.

The quality of Recycled PET is nearly identical to the one of virgin polyester, however it requires considerably smaller amounts of energy. In turn, CO2 emissions are reduced. Developing a non-virgin polyester fibre has the potential to massively impact global energy and resource requirements as well as, reduces our dependence on petroleum as a source of raw material for the production of garments.

We work closely with family-run factories, where many of our garments are produced using solar powered energy. We have removed single-use plastics from our collections since AW19 and would love for you to join us, and consider the choices you make when buying clothes.