The fact that these bottles are made from crude oil poses a serious drain on an already diminishing (and costly) resource. It has been noted that over ˝ million barrels of oil can be saved each year as well as keeping over 3 billion plastic PET bottles from ending up in landfills using this type of recycling. With a lack of plastic recycling facilities, this is a major step in decreasing the landfill crisis. In addition, 400,000 tons of harmful air emissions which contribute to a variety of environmental problems (global warming, acid rain, smog) can be eliminated. One popular apparel company who has implemented the use of PET in it’s garments, through it’s own R&D department, claims that energy consumption can be reduced by 76% and Carbon dioxide emissions by 71% from recycling. It has been further estimated that the amount of oil being saved from reusing plastic bottles annually can power a mid sized N. American city for a full year!
Many popular outdoor clothing brands such as Patagonia, REI and LLBean, which promote an eco-friendly business model, are now offering garments made from fabrics containing PET. This shows that many businesses today are stepping up and meeting environmental challenges by integrating “green” strategies into their business plan. Patagonia, a pioneer in using recycled plastic bottles since the 1990’s, has even taken it one step further. Through a program called Common Threads, the company will take any garment ever made of Polartec® fabrics, including competitors garments, and use them to make yarn and then new garments. Ideally, other businesses must adopt similar strategies to be included into their business practices if we are to start making positive changes that will ultimately make a difference in our world.
While PET was originally used to produce fleece, the textile is being developed and can now be blended with other environmentally friendly materials such as hemp and organic cotton. Ecospun is one such manufacturer that has advanced the technology to include the blending of PET with other ingredients. The company claims that they can create 1 sweater from 17 plastic bottles or use 365,000,000 bottles to produce 36,500,000 lbs of fiber.
In conclusion, the use of PET can solve a multitude of problems. A serious reduction in oil usage, energy consumption and Carbon dioxide emissions are most notable in addition to easing the burden of landfill usage. The human race must take responsibility for the use of it’s resources as well as the ecological impact of it’s consumption. It is this type of creative thinking that will serve as a model to businesses and consumers alike. We have nothing less than the long term survival of our species and the planet on the line.
Written by: Organic and Hemp
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