Cotton is one of the most profitable non-food crops in the world and remains the most popular material in the textiles industry. However, it has many drawbacks when it comes to its impact on the environment.
Over the years, as have become more conscious of our actions and how they affect the planet, we have discovered more sustainable methods of growing and sourcing cotton. One such alternative to conventional virgin cotton is recycled cotton.
This eco-friendly fabric is even greener than organic cotton and has many benefits that make it a great choice for manufacturing reusable tote bags.
What is recycled cotton?
Recycled cotton is used cotton fabric that has been converted back into cotton fibers. Essentially, it takes waste that would have ended up in landfills and turns it into a new material that can be used to make a range of functional products.
The cotton can come from two primary sources:
- Pre-consumer waste which includes the scraps left as the by-product of yarn and fabrics
- Post-consumer waste which includes garments, home textiles and other used goods
Post-consumer waste is harder to sort through and requires more labor when it comes to recycling so much of recycled cotton comes from pre-consumer waste.
How is recycled cotton fabric made?
The process of making recycled cotton fabric falls under three categories – chemical, mechanical and thermal. The most popular method is mechanical because it is the most affordable of the three.
Once cotton has been recycled and collected, it is manually separated by type and color and then shredded into smaller pieces and further still into a raw fiber. This process can be quite harsh and has been known to cause fibers to break and entangle during shredding.
Finally, the raw fiber is spun back into yarn which can be woven in the final recycled cotton fabric.
Why is recycled cotton sustainable?
Recycled cotton is one of the most sustainable types of cotton fabric for many reasons.
The biggest and most obvious one being that it comes from a renewable resource and offsets the production of new materials. This makes it part of the circular economy as it keeps materials out of landfills and in circulation for as long as possible.
This plays an important role in protecting the planet because landfills take up a lot of valuable land space and they emit harmful toxic gases as a result of the materials decomposing.
Furthermore, every ton of recycled cotton saves 765,000 liters of water which is a massive reduction in water consumption. This is due to the fact that it doesn’t require any farming which is a highly water-intensive activity.
There are also reductions in the amount of energy and dye used because recycled cotton has already been processed.
The material itself can also continue to be recycled and is biodegradable so it has no need to ever end up as waste.
What are the advantages of using recycled cotton to make tote bags?
Aside from all of the environmental benefits that come with using recycled cotton, this material also has many qualities that make it ideal for manufacturing sustainable tote bags.
It is a durable, high-quality fabric which is essential for ensuring that tote bags are reusable and have a long life span; along with it being washable.
Recycled cotton is also breathable and lightweight. In fact, it looks and feels just like conventional cotton so you can hardly tell the difference between the two.
Finally, due to all of the sustainable elements of recycled cotton, using it to make tote bags for your business means that you can show your customers that you care about the planet and that you are taking actions to help protect it. This will do wonders for your reputation and will keep your customers happy and even attract a new audience of eco-conscious consumers.
Our recycled cotton tote bags
Our ethos is to make sustainability more accessible to all businesses by providing them with custom-made, eco-friendly products for retail, promotional or packaging purposes.
In order to uphold our sustainability principles, we only use sustainable materials to make all of our products and this includes recycled cotton which we use to create many of our eco bags.
Our collection of tote bags made from recycled cotton are perfect for promotional giveaways or as a replacement for plastic bags at the checkout.
With the support of our team, you can create a recycled cotton tote bag that aligns with your brand by adding your bespoke artwork and custom accessories.