Is polyester recyclable? Discover the answers and learn about the processes that manufacturers use, plus the advantages and disadvantages of this material. Polyester is one of the most widely produced fibres, making up 54% of total global fibre production in 2022.
Polyester is a synthetic material used to make around half of the world’s clothing output. Moreover, that figure is set to double due to increased demand from the growing global middle class and consumers’ desire for stretchier, more durable garments. This trend has sparked renewed interest in the difference between polyester and cotton, especially in terms of environmental impact and garment performance. But is polyester recyclable, and is polyester fabric safe? The sustainability of polyester is a concern for many environmental organisations. They worry that there is no safe and effective way to process the active ingredient, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and that it accumulates in the environment. Polyester is not biodegradable and can take anywhere from 20 to 200 years to decompose, thereby contributing to long-term environmental pollution.
Fortunately, thanks to recycled polyester, the process of creating garments from this material is becoming more eco-friendly. Many major brands already use recycled polyester in some of their lines, and others plan to increase their use of the material in the future, thereby preventing PET from being sent to landfills. Recycled polyester production helps divert textile waste from landfills and reduces the environmental burden of discarded clothing. Textile Exchange is a big player in this space. As a non-profit, it’s looking for ways to encourage major fabric retailers, such as Gap and IKEA, to reduce the virgin PET content in their clothing and upholstery. Various companies are developing and utilising recycled polyester and next-generation fibres as part of their sustainability initiatives. The ultimate goal is to increase brands' use of recycled polyester to 36 per cent by 2030. Manufacturers of recycled polyester aim to reduce CO2 emissions by 32% compared to regular polyester.
Introduction to Polyester
Polyester is a synthetic material that has become a cornerstone of the fashion industry, making up a significant portion of global clothing production. Thanks to its durability, resistance to wrinkles, and ability to retain shape, polyester is found in about half of all garments worldwide. This widespread use is driven by the fabric’s versatility and cost-effectiveness, making it a popular choice for a range of applications, from t-shirts to outerwear.
However, the production of virgin polyester comes with a considerable environmental cost. Creating new polyester relies heavily on crude oil and natural gas, both of which are non-renewable resources. The extraction and processing of these raw materials contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation, raising concerns about the sustainability of traditional polyester fabrics. In response, the fashion industry is increasingly turning to recycled polyester as a means to reduce its reliance on virgin materials, minimise waste, and lower the overall environmental impact of clothing production. By embracing recycled polyester, brands are taking steps toward more sustainable practices and contributing to the reduction of plastic waste.
Types of Polyester
Polyester comes in several forms, each with its own characteristics and environmental implications. The most common type is virgin polyester, which is produced from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic derived from fossil fuels, such as crude oil and natural gas. This process consumes significant resources and generates plastic waste, contributing to the environmental challenges associated with the fashion industry.
Recycled polyester offers a more sustainable alternative. It is made by processing recycled plastic bottles and other post-consumer PET waste, transforming discarded materials into new fabrics. By using recycled plastic bottles and other plastic waste, recycled polyester helps divert materials from landfills and reduces the need for new fossil fuel extraction. Compared to virgin polyester, recycled polyester requires fewer resources and results in less environmental impact, making it an increasingly popular choice for brands committed to sustainability.
Blended polyesters are another category, combining polyester with other fibres such as cotton to create fabrics with unique properties. These blends can enhance comfort, durability, or performance, but they can also complicate recycling efforts due to the variety of materials used. As the fashion industry continues to innovate, the use of recycled polyester and blended fabrics is helping to create more sustainable options for consumers while addressing the challenges of plastic waste and resource consumption.
Is Polyester Recyclable? Here's How It Works
Recycled polyester is chemically very similar to regular polyester derived from crude oil. The crucial difference is that recycled polyester comes from material already out there in the environment, not virgin plastic. For that reason, many people—including some high-profile green organisations—see it as more sustainable. Using recycled polyester helps reduce the extraction of crude oil and natural gas from the earth to make more plastic.
Manufacturers produce recycled polyester by collecting existing materials and then breaking them down into small, flat pellets. Applying heat and mechanical action enables brands to weave discarded plastics into yarn, which can then be sifted through machines to produce clothing. Recycled polyester is made by melting down plastic waste and re-spinning it into new fibres. This is known as mechanical recycling, which is the most common recycling process for polyester. Chemical recycling is another innovative method that breaks down polyester into its raw materials, allowing for higher-quality recycled fibres.
What’s amazing about recycled polyester is that it doesn’t have to come from existing polyester at all. In fact, it can come from any PET-containing plastics. Many manufacturers, for instance, begin their production processes with truckloads of plastic bottles collected from local waste. Textile waste is also a significant source for polyester recycling, although it presents challenges in sorting and processing. They then feed these into their machinery to break them down into constituent parts, which are then turned into wearable threads. Brands transform old bottles, food packets, and wrapping materials into a confetti-like material during the plastic shredding process, converting regular single-use plastic waste into durable items of clothing that can last for many years.
The process is also highly efficient. Manufacturers can transform five regular soda bottles into a t-shirt, providing consumers with clothing items that can last for more than five years. Five water bottles yield enough fibre for one t-shirt. Advancements in the chemical recycling process are enhancing the quality and sustainability of recycled polyester.
Some brands tout that their plastic comes from consumer waste (because of the images that we all have of landfills packed with soda bottles). However, in reality, most of the plastic used in the production of recycled polyester clothing comes from industrial sources. Repurposing this type of PET tends to be considerably easier than consumer versions. There’s far less pre-processing, and it tends to be much more standardised, allowing fashion brands to generate more consistent results.
Using recycled polyester is something that most environmentalists support. Ongoing innovations in polyester recycling are crucial for creating a more circular textile industry. However, there are some downsides.
The Advantages Of Recycled Polyester
Recycled polyester offers a host of advantages over virgin polyester. This appeals to consumers who want to ensure that their wardrobes have the minimum environmental impact possible.
2.1 Quality and Performance
Recycled polyester is just as good as virgin polyester in terms of quality. It is also highly durable, making it ideal for everyday items like wallets and sportswear.
2.2 Environmental Benefits
By using recycled polyester, we reduce the demand for new petroleum, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and help keep plastic waste out of landfills and oceans. This supports a more sustainable plastic cycle. Innovative solutions throughout the value chain are essential for improving the efficiency and scalability of polyester recycling.
It's Just As Good But Requires Fewer Resources
Many people imagine that recycled polyester is weaker and more brittle than its virgin counterpart. But thanks to the way that PET recycling works, that's not the case. It has largely the same material properties as the freshly-made variety, meaning that its fabric properties are nearly identical. Recycled polyester is just as good as virgin polyester in terms of quality.
There are numerous environmental benefits of using recycled polyester. For instance, research suggests that recycled polyester requires around 59 per cent less energy to produce than the virgin variety. It may reduce CO2 emissions by up to 32 per cent, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. Over the course of its lifetime, recycled PET tends to outperform its disposable counterpart. Using 100% recycled polyester can significantly reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption.
Furthermore, using recycled PET also helps reduce the environmental impact of crude oil extraction. Extracting natural gas and oil from the ground is environmentally damaging and often results in habitat destruction. Using the PET that's already in commercial products, there's no need to continue relying on oil. Polyester derives from petroleum, a nonrenewable fossil fuel, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
There are also strategic advantages. If the oil supply were to suddenly dry up, countries with a high dependency on polyester would struggle to source the raw materials needed to create new products. But when there is more recycling capacity, sources of new polyester become much more secure and diverse. Fresh PET is continually arriving in the form of single-use consumer and industrial packaging.
It Uses A Major Source Of Plastic
Estimates suggest that polyester accounts for around 60 per cent of the world's total PET production—more than double the amount used in global plastic bottle production. So, developing non-virgin supply chains is an excellent way to reduce overall virgin plastic consumption. It is conceivable that a sustainable plastic cycle could exist, where single-use waste is recycled into PET, which is then used to make clothing, and subsequently transformed back into single-use items, and so on. This process could continue indefinitely, so long as the processing technology can maintain the chemical structure of the polyethylene terephthalate itself.
It Stops Plastics From Reaching Landfills and The Ocean
The third advantage of recycled polyester is that it acts as a kind of ‘plastic sink.’ Instead of consumer waste being sent directly to landfills or the ocean, it is often incorporated into products that consumers can use long-term. Recycling gives used plastics and textiles a new lease of life, extending their usefulness and reducing waste.
The statistics on plastic in the oceans are quite scary. Plastic, for instance, accounts for around 80 per cent of all marine debris (because of how resistant it is to breaking down). Governments estimate that plastics kill approximately 100,000 marine mammals and turtles, as well as one million seabirds, per year. Humanity dumps around 12 million tonnes of plastic into the oceans every twelve months, and much of this is in the form of microplastics—tiny particles that are hard to see with the naked eye. Plastics are widely distributed throughout the environment, with micro-particles now being found in remote Antarctic ice. If current trends continue, there could be more plastic in the ocean by 2050 than all marine life combined.
There is no sign that humanity will reverse its reliance on plastic either. If current trends continue, plastic production is likely to triple by 2050, with more than 90 per cent of it coming directly from fossil fuels.
Australia is a poor performer in terms of plastic recycling. Estimates suggest that the country consumes approximately 3.4 million tonnes of the material annually. But only around 10 per cent of it goes to recycling or processing that use recycled components.
There Is Hope Ahead
There is hope, though. Thanks to emerging movements like the use of recycled polyester in the fashion industry, those trends may reverse. It’s unlikely that we will see a plastic-free world in the next 30 years. However, there are now more options than ever to tackle the problem and, critically, make plastic waste valuable.
The recycled PET movement will begin to change this dynamic. Taking plastic and transforming it into a useful material makes sustainability more sustainable. In addition to recycling, materials can also be reused, further extending their lifecycle and reducing environmental impact. When real economic incentives exist, more people are likely to join in with the idea.
Is Polyester Recyclable Infinitely?
While recycled polyester is a promising prospect for environmentalists and others who care about the planet, it has its limitations. While recycled polyester is made from materials (like plastic bottles) that are recyclable, the resulting product is generally not. That’s because manufacturers blend PET with other materials, such as cotton, to give their products the desired properties for consumers. Polyamide is another material often blended with polyester, which can further complicate the recycling process. So, recovering the original plastic is more challenging in fabrics than in other applications. Some companies are working on processes that will make it possible in the future, but these are still at the trial stage of development.
But is polyester recyclable infinitely? Not just yet. Even if processes can separate PET from cotton and recycle both, there are mechanical and chemical reasons why polyester cannot be recycled indefinitely. For instance, when plastic bottles enter a recycling plant, equipment washes and then shreds them, converting them back into raw polyester chips. This product then undergoes the traditional yarn-making process, resulting in a virtually identical virgin PET product. Unfortunately, the shredding, reheating, and washing processes weaken the plastic, so manufacturers must combine it with regular virgin polyester to achieve the desired strength. Thus, in many cases, you’ll see garments advertised as 80 per cent recycled polyester (instead of the full 100 per cent).
There Are Some Challenges
Chemically, there are issues too. Each time you reheat plastic, it degenerates. The chemical chains that hold it together break down, and it becomes weaker and more brittle. Eventually, manufacturers must use it in lower and lower-quality products before it becomes so weak that it is not fit for any purpose at all. Unfortunately, the shredding, reheating, and washing processes weaken the plastic, so manufacturers must combine it with regular virgin polyester to achieve the desired strength. Maintaining consistent colour in recycled polyester is also a challenge, often requiring additional processing to achieve a uniform appearance in the final product.
Not all organisations, though, accept this line of reasoning. While Textile Exchange concedes that current plastic recycling technology has limits, it believes that a ‘closed-loop’ system of polyester reuse may be possible in the future. In their world, consumers could recycle PET-containing clothing repeatedly without any of it ending up in landfills.
Many environmentalists oppose the notion that researchers should seek to recycle plastic infinitely. In their view, that might encourage consumers to use even more single-use disposable plastics, creating a larger burden on landfills. That’s because most countries, including Australia, still do not recycle the vast majority of their plastics.
However, if that were to change—and people received an income for recycling disposable plastic—then incentives would change. Everyone would try to economise on plastic as much as possible, sending it to recycling plants to convert it into recycled materials with properties identical to those of their virgin counterparts.
The Trouble With Microplastics
Commentators also see recycled polyester as a potential source of microplastics (just like the regular version). Proponents of recycled versions view it as a way to prevent plastic from reaching the oceans. However, the story isn’t as rosy as you might think. According to research by the University of Plymouth, UK, each machine wash can release hundreds of thousands of plastic fibre particles into the water supply. This contributes to microplastic pollution, which is a growing environmental concern. Some estimates suggest that more than 85 per cent of manufactured debris on shorelines is microfiber-based. And both recycled and virgin polyester create the same problem. Man-made fabrics, such as polyester and other synthetics, are significant contributors to microplastic pollution.
To help prevent microplastic pollution, using a filter washing bag during laundry can capture microfibers before they enter the water system. This practical solution is a crucial step in mitigating the environmental impact of washing synthetic fabrics.
Wrapping Up
Manufacturers use polyester in clothing because it strikes the perfect balance between affordability, strength and durability. Mixing it with other materials allows brands to create clothes that last for years, not months, and makes them more resistant to mould, sweat and abrasion damage. Polyester, therefore, is a miracle material (like so many other plastics). The transformation of crude oil into petrochemicals releases toxins into the atmosphere that are dangerous for humans and the environment.
Unfortunately, virgin polyester is derived from crude oil, and if discarded into landfills, it contributes to the world's plastic waste problems. Recycled polyester is a potential solution because it uses PET waste to create new items with the same properties as virgin polyester.
It May Not Be Perfect
It's not perfect, though. While it uses substantially less CO2 and avoids the need for more crude oil extraction, recycled polyester can't be recycled indefinitely. Mixing it with cotton and other materials complicates the process significantly, meaning that most garments made from the material will ultimately end up in landfills.
There's also the fact that recycling PET indefinitely to create a closed loop is challenging. Researchers are currently working on the problem, but technical limitations prevent them from yet applying it at an industrial scale.
So, where does this leave the consumer? Ultimately, recycled polyester has distinct advantages over virgin polyester. However, it doesn't yet solve all environmental problems to the satisfaction of all environmentalists. It still has limitations. In the meantime, some consumers are investing their time and money in alternative materials, such as bamboo, which may be a better proposition overall. You may also like reading this article: Is polyester safe?
