AFTER cashmere, alpaca and mohair, thelatest fad in the global textile marketmay well be recycled plastic clothes.Going by the recent developments in thechemical and textile industries, it maynot be long before a sweater or a jacketmade from recycled plastic bottlesbecomes an essential fashion accessoryas much in demand as Bally shoes orGucci leather items.
At a press show in London recently,the Brasher boot company, a smallBritish concern, launched Europe's firstfleece jacket made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) - a plasticused in soft drink bottles. Except for thezip and the thread, the rest of the jacketwas made from recycled material.
Says Chris Basher, the chairpersonof the company, which has recentlydiversified from shoes into clothing,"We turned to recycled fleece on commercial as well as environmentalgrounds and recycled materials areforming an increasing part of the companys output."
Brasher's Mountainmaster jacket -made almost fully from recycled material - is a breakthrough in Europe, andpossibly in the world, as previous products have used fleece with a maximumof 80 per cent recycled content.Garments made from recycled PET Meeta clothing material's basic demands -lightness and comfort, warmth anddurability - while being environment-friendly, contends Basher.Another company to foray into thefield of plastic clothes is Rhovyl, inFrance. Rhovyl has started making yarncomprising 70 per cent polyvinylchloride (Pk) - derived by recycling min-eral water bottles - and 30 per centwool. Researchers say the fabric feels assoft and supple as natural wool.
Both the PET and Pvc technologiesfor making plastic clothes need to firstturn plastic into liquid. But whereas PETbottles are first cut and then melted,prior to filtration to remove impuritiesand extrusion to form a fibre, Pvc has tobe dissolved in a solution of acetone andcarbon sulphate as it cannot be melted down.
Removing impurities, explainsRhovyl's chairperson Alain Rigad, isessential in both cases. And complex filtration to remove substances like polyethylene caps and chemical additives toimprove shock resistance, mean pro-duction costs for recycled materials arehigher than for virgin plastic. "But thedifference is not necessarily passed on tothe customer," adds Rigad.
Though it may take some time forclothes made from recycled plastic bottles to catch the fancy of the world,Rhovyl and the Basher boot companyare wagering on eco-consciousness becoming a reality.