What is recycled polyester?

Polyester has turned into a swear word in the fashion industry.

You know how it goes – a garment feels lovely, so you take a look at the tag – and ugh, not again. Polyester.

But it turns out, polyester does have some good qualities. It’s wrinkle resistant, easy to clean, quick to dry, lightweight and hardwearing. So perhaps it’s just polyester’s environmental footprint that gives it a bad name.

But hold up – not all polyester is created equal. And there are more and more green options hitting the market. So, what is recycled polyester? And how does it differ from plain old polyester?

Let’s dive in.

First up, what is polyester?

Nearly half of the world’s clothing is made from polyester – which is made from a type of plastic (polyethylene terephthalate, if we’re being specific). But it hasn’t always dominated our wardrobes. In fact, our grandparents were mostly dressed in natural materials like wool and cotton.

But eventually, technological advancements led to ways to make cheaper and faster fabric. But cheap and fast comes at a cost.

Enter, polyester.

Polyester is not a sustainable fabric, as it involves a huge amount of water, energy and chemicals. Not only that, but the production of polyester can pollute water and air and harm the manufacturers. And at the end of its life? It can take hundreds of years to decompose!

In other words, polyester is bad news for the environment.

Okay, then what is recycled polyester?

The holy grail of polyesters, recycled polyester is made by melting down existing plastic and re-spinning it into new polyester fabric. It uses PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the same material that’s used in plastic water bottles and containers (which are just going to get thrown away by consumers, anyway).

Just five plastic drink bottles can produce enough fabric for one XL t-shirt!

By using recycled polyester, you’re helping to minimise waste and fossil fuels. And the good news is that recycled polyester requires 59% less energy to produce than standard polyester. Using recycled polyester also lessens our dependence on petroleum as a source of raw materials and diverts used plastic from landfills.

Taking plastic waste and turning it into a useful material is vital for both humans and our environment. Eight million metric tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans every year. So much so, plastic has been found in 60% of all seabirds and 100% of all sea turtles.

If we keep up this alarming pace, the state of our oceans (and planet) will only continue spiral downward.

There’s never been a greater need for innovative and sustainable alternatives. And using recycled materials is a great start.

Recycled polyester has all the benefits of regular polyester - wrinkle resistant, easy to clean, quick to dry, lightweight and hardwearing – only it’s gentler on the environment.

At Snoot Style, we create comfort that’s loved by dogs, style that’s loved by humans and sustainability practices that are loved by the earth. So, when we designed our Floofy Fleece Dog Coat and Floofy Fleece Dog Blanket, we wanted to make sure we were using 100% recycled polyester. Because dogs deserve sustainable options, too. When you shop with us, 10% of profits are also donated to the World Wildlife Fund, helping to empower communities, conserve biodiversity and create a greener future.