As innovators and specialists within sustainability, we are always seeking new and exciting sustainable materials that can be used to create our vast array of custom products for businesses.
Whether it comes from a natural, renewable source or it can be disposed of in an eco-friendly way at the end of its life, there are many factors that make a fabric sustainable. But the pinnacle of sustainability comes when a material is green from the beginning right through to the end of its journey – and when that journey is traceable, even better.
We have discovered a fiber that meets all of the above and can be celebrated for its many eco-credentials as well as being transparent about its green claims. This fiber is called Recron® GreenGold.
What Is A Recron® GreenGold Fiber?
Recron® GreenGold is an eco-friendly fiber made from 100% post-consumer recycled PET bottles – this makes it a type of rPET fiber.
However, unlike other rPET fibers, Recron® GreenGold has added sustainability benefits, feels and looks like cotton and has embedded tracers.
These fibers undergo a mechanical recycling process that converts them into a yarn that can be spun into a recycled fabric, and this entire journey is tracked by the tracers so that consumers can verify each Recron® product’s authenticity.
This innovative and eco-friendly material was created by R|Elan™ Industries Limited.
Who are R|Elan™ Industries Limited?
R|Elan™ Industries Limited are the largest producer of petrochemicals in India and amongst the top ten in the world, as well as being the world’s largest producer of polyester fiber and filament yarn.
They have an incredible Technology Center with 80 scientists and technologists who harness the power of chemistry, a Fiber Application Center to develop product solutions for a range of applications, and a Testing Center to support their customers with their yarn and fabric testing needs.
R|Elan™ have developed a number of impressive fabrics infused with various technologies, each with a special benefit catering to a different audience.
Their high performance fabrics, for example, are great for activewear whilst their aesthetic fabrics are more suited to high fashion apparel.
The Recron® GreenGold fabric falls under their eco-friendly range and is all about sustainability. It includes another specific type of Recron® known as GreenGold Ocean which is a fiber made specifically from ocean bound plastic.
How is Recron® GreenGold fabric made?
The manufacturing process that turns recycled PET bottles into the finished Recron® GreenGold fabric is quite simple and is considered a closed-loop production cycle.
This means that waste material is being used to create a new product that will then go on to be recycled and put back into this production process once it reaches the end of its useful life. It’s a never-ending cycle that keeps waste out of landfills.
We have broken it down into four steps…
First, PET bottles are collected by local vendors all across India from places such as stations, airports, streets and housing societies.
R|Elan™ have also launched an initiative to promote the recycling of PET bottles through the use of reverse vending machines.
Once they have been collected, the bottles are taken to a recycling facility where they are ground up into small flakes and then washed and dried. It is at this stage, during the polymer stream, that the GreenGold tracers are added.
Next, the flakes are converted into string-like fibers by being chopped down into pellets, melted and stretched.
Finally, the fibers are spun together to create a yarn which can be taken to a textile factory and woven into a usable product.
Is Recron® GreenGold sustainable?
Recron® GreenGold fibers have one of the lowest carbon footprints making it a superior fabric when it comes to sustainability.
The source of the fibers comes from recycled plastic bottles which diverts these harmful products from landfills or the ocean so the very essence of this material is built in protecting the environment.
Then, the actual production process continues to uphold these sustainable standards being that it is completely free of harmful chemicals and approximately 90% of the water used is recycled under a zero waste concept.
It doesn’t end there. Eventually, once the product made using Recron® has come to the end of its useful life, it can be recycled and go through this whole process again to make something new. This make Recron® GreenGold part of a circular economy.
Despite all of this, the quality of Recron® GreenGold fabric is not impacted and matches that of a material made from virgin fibers.
What is the purpose of the tracers embedded in Recron® GreenGold fibers?
Another superb feature of Recron® GreenGold is that it has backward and forward traceability because it is embedded with tracers.
This technology enables the end consumer to verify all the sustainability claims, such as the certifiable bottle collection scheme and that 100% post-consumer PET bottle waste has been used in its creation.
The main purpose of this is to eradicate greenwashing from the textiles industry by providing full transparency about the story behind the fabric from fiber to final product.
This gives consumers full faith in the products that they are buying and offers businesses that sell these products to lead with integrity and build trust.
How we use Recron® GreenGold
We use Recron® GreenGold fabric to make a number of custom products for businesses, including tote bags, drawstring pouches and gift bags.
By using this eco-friendly and durable material, we are able to craft some of the most sustainable reusable bags in the industry making them the perfect replacement for harmful single-use plastic bags.