From ancient tradition tohigh-tech innovations, fabric has undergone rapid transformations with the spanof time. To sustain their slice of pie in the textile market, and attract morecustomers, apparel manufacturers come up with novel ideas. The current trend inselling products those goes with ecological lifestyle. Sustainable clothing isa virtuous part of ecological and growing design philosophy. Ethical practicesare adopted to reduce the carbon footprint. There is an array of apparels seenin the market, made from recycled fabrics.

 

Recycled fashion goes togetherwith sustainability:

 

Sustainable fashion supports andnourishes earth governed by the principles of organic fibres, recycling, freetrade worker, and animal welfare. Recycling old fabrics is a part of the largertrend of sustainable fashion in which apparels are manufactured matching withthe trends of environmentalism and social responsibility. Various materials,once its purpose is finished, instead of dumping in the garbage are recycled,and new apparels are made.

 

In an exclusive interview withFibre2fashion, Mr. Akihiro Omatsuzawa, Chief of Technical Group of JapanChemical Fibers Association (JCFA) says, "New recycling efforts havebegun in areas of chemical fiber products using unconventional processes thattake advantage of product characteristics, for instance, re-melting fiber toproduce finished products or chemically decomposing and restoring it to the rawmaterial stage."

 

Wear your coffee afterdrinking it!

 

Most of the times grounded coffeebeans are thrown into the garbage, or sometimes are used as fertilizer. A newprocess has emerged in the fabric market, wherein; waste grounded coffee beanshave witnessed a creative application in making recycled fabrics. Groundedcoffee beans are converted into yarn, which is woven into shirts. Thesquandered coffee bean powder is transformed into interlaced fibers, which ismade into fabric, and is tailored into garments. Garments are manufactured inmany styles of knitted, woven, and soft shell fabrics. Two T-shirts can be madefrom one cup of coffee.

 

 

Attractive T-shirts from old PET bottles:

 

Recycled plastic bottles can nowbe produced into fibres, which can be used in making apparels and hometextiles. Old and thrown away plastic bottles go through a number of processesbefore they are finally converted into fabrics and reach the racks of theclothing store. The bottles are processed separately by washing and granulatingthem. The flakes are melted and extruded through a showerhead type device andmade into polyester strands. The strands are then stretched out to thin out andmake them strong. These fibres are made into fabrics and are used for makingapparels, home furnishings and other products creatively and usefully.

 

Eco friendly Shoes:

 

An American manufacturing companyhas come up with a shoe manufactured from waste leather, waste syntheticmaterials, and other substances available on the factory floor. The upper partis made from waste leather and synthetic materials, which are fixed togetherwith zigzag stitches. The middle sole of the shoe uses scrap-ground foam fromfactory production. Shoelaces and sock liners are made from eco friendlymaterials. To make the mission perfect in all the ways, the shoe is even packedin a cardboard shoe-packing box, which will be made only out of recycledmaterials.

 

 

 

Wear your favorite music around your neck!

 

Tapes from old and worn out audio cassettes are recycled and are used for making neck ties. Old and unused audio cassette tapes are recycled, and beautiful neckties are made from it. 50% of the materials of these ties are made from old and recorded audio cassette tape and the remaining 50% is blended with color thread.

 

Recycling old textile waste would minimize landfill deposits. Attempts to minimize wastage are now on focus due to increased environmental awareness. Currently, there is an increasing awareness among people regarding waste collection and recycling. Developing a potential market for recycled textiles by buying such recycled products will reduce the wastage going to landfill.

 

References:

 

  1. &sec=article&uinfo=<%=server.URLEncode(2245)%>" target="_blank">http://www.copperwiki.org
  2. &sec=article&uinfo=<%=server.URLEncode(2245)%>" target="_blank">http://www.canada.com
  3. &sec=article&uinfo=<%=server.URLEncode(2245)%>" target="_blank">http://www.textile-recycling.org.uk/