Ever since joining the eco-fashion bandwagon, I’ve been fascinated by the concept of turning recycled plastic bottles into fabric. The first time I read about this innovative clothing material, I had to do a twice over – I just couldn’t fathom how plastic could become fabric. Sure, petroleum products are made into clothing (e.g. nylon track suits) but…plastic bottles? So, just in case you’re wondering, too, here’s how one manufacturer makes the miracle happen, as explained by Readymade.
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First is the bottle collection process, followed by a chipper that grates the bottles down to flake (think of Sno-Cone shaved ice). The dried flake is then melted in giant vats called extruders.
In liquid form, the plastic is pumped through spinarettes and cooled to form fiber filaments (they have the texture of greasy hair).
The fibers are then stretched continuously around a series of seven rollers. The more the fibers are stretched, the stronger they get.
These strong fibers then pass through a needle punch machine, which causes an entangling system to weave together the filaments into fabric. It takes about 10 bottles to equal one pound of fiber, which translates to one sweatshirt per 17 bottles.
– via Readymade
Image via mjmonty