Recycled Materials
Recycled Polyester (R-Poly)
Motive
Recycled polyester, often called rPet, is made from recycled plastic bottles.
The Positive of this fibre is it is a great way to divert plastic from our landfills. The production of recycled polyester requires far fewer resources than that of new fibres and generates fewer CO2 emissions. The fibre is naturally water repellent and performs well in the outdoors. The downside is it is still non/biodegradable and takes years to disappear once eventually disposed of. There are 2 ways to recycle polyester: For mechanical recycling, plastic is melted to make new yarn. This process can only be done a few times before the fibre loses its quality. Chemical recycling involves breaking down the plastic molecules and reforming them into yarn. This process maintains the quality of the original fibre and allows the material to be recycled infinitely, but it is more expensive.
Where are we now?
We do not use any virgin polyester in our current product arrange. Recycle polyester is a key fibre in our original eco leash. All our Recycled Polyester is sourced from a leading and responsible company in USA. By using recycled polyester made from post-consumer PET-bottles we are able to lower the carbon footprint compared to virgin polyester, with 75% lower emission.
Where are we going?
Our aim is not to use any virgin polyester in or future product range. We will continue to use recycled polyester in our Evo leash, planned launched first half of 2022. Due to recycle polyester being a well performing outdoor future fibre we envision our future life/positive product range will be dominated using this fibre.
Recycled Nylon
Motive
Recycled Nylon has the similar benefits as recycled polyester: We can divert waste from landfills and the production process uses much fewer resources than virgin nylon (including water, energy and fossil fuel) and is one of the strongest
plastics. One of the largest contributors to garbage being in our ocean is from old fishing nets, discarded at sea by fishermen. A large part of the recycled nylon produced comes from these discarded fishing nets. Not only is the fibre great to use for many applications it is also a solution to divert garbage from the ocean. Recycled nylon can also come from other products or garments like nylon carpets, tights, etc. Recycling nylon is still more expensive than virgin nylon, but the advantages for the environment outweighs the costs.
plastics. One of the largest contributors to garbage being in our ocean is from old fishing nets, discarded at sea by fishermen. A large part of the recycled nylon produced comes from these discarded fishing nets. Not only is the fibre great to use for many applications it is also a solution to divert garbage from the ocean. Recycled nylon can also come from other products or garments like nylon carpets, tights, etc. Recycling nylon is still more expensive than virgin nylon, but the advantages for the environment outweighs the costs.
Where are we now?
We have not been using any nylon in our previous products on the market, however in our R&D for future products we are evaluating using recycled nylon from discarded fishing nets were we see the demand to use it for its technical properties.
Where are we going?
We have a goal to support the outdoor industry to eliminate all use of fibres that are made from fossil fuels and finite resource. A lot of research is currently being conducted to improve the quality and reduce the costs of the recycling process and here at Revolwe we are working with several organisations to improve the process and create alternative use of this fibre for our future. Still we are focusing on using recycled substitutes.
Recycled Cotton
Motive
Recycled cotton prevents additional textile waste and requires far fewer resources than conventional or organic cotton. This makes it a great sustainable option. Cotton can be recycled using old garments or textile leftovers. The quality of the cotton may be lower than of new cotton. Recycled cotton is therefore usually blended with new cotton. The production of recycled cotton is still very limited.
Where are we now?
Our current supply chain partners collect pre-consumer scraps from factory floors that meet our quality standards. We are using recycled cotton in some products right now. Using recycled cotton saves 20,000 liters of water per kilogram of cotton and reduces the amount of energy use. Sometimes these figures can appear greenwashed, as much of the reduction in water and energy exists because the fiber has already been processed once.
Where are we going?
Going forward we would like to incorporate more of recycled cotton into our natural raw materials whenever possible to create and improve our coming life-positive product rating. Working with like mined partners to access new supply chains and technology so we can increase our use of this fibre.
Recycled Wool
Motive
Wool is a natural fiber that insulates, breathes and lasts for a long time. Producing wool, however, is a resource-intensive job. It requires vast amounts of land for grazing sheep, water to clean the fiber, chemicals to treat the wool and dyes to color the finished product.
Where are we now?
We currently don’t use any wool in our products.
Where are we going?
The R&D department are evaluating to use recycled wool in our products that demand the properties of wool. With that we can make products that has the same great qualities as virgin wool at a fraction of the environmental cost.
The win is also to extend the life span of fiber that has already been produced.