It is 2023! Sportswear from recycled plastic waste
Most people use sportswear for a variety of purposes, not just in the gym or when running in the park. We put on our comfy tracksuit while working remotely from the comfort of the sofa at home, throw on a hoodie when we have to pop into the local store. It is no coincidence that such apparel is used almost every day and it can wear out quickly depending on the material, quality and frequency of use.
But do we think about what materials these comfortable tracksuits, leggings and sweatshirts are made of when we go shopping in the store or dozens of tempting offers for sales pop up on the Internet? And do we think about the environmental impact of our seemingly harmless choices?
Traditionally, sportswear is made of petroleum-derived materials such as polyester, nylon and lycra. The carbon footprint of sportswear production is huge as there are high energy costs, greenhouse emissions, plastic waste and hazardous chemicals.
About 50% of our clothing is made of plastic. Every time we wash our clothes, microfibers are released and, in this way, tons of such microplastics end up in the seas and oceans. By 2050, 22 million tons of microfibers are expected to end up in the oceans.
What can we do about this?
First of all, it is important that Gen Z start choosing sportswear made from recycled plastic waste - from plastic bottles, for example. This would reduce the negative impact of the manufacture of such clothing as it uses already existing materials - recycled polyester and nylon from plastic bottles or nylon fishing nets. Thus, no oil has to be used, the production cycle is shorter, the energy demand is also much lower, which reduces carbon emissions.
There are already fashion companies that offer this type of production from recycled polyester and nylon. The transformation of the fashion industry towards being more eco-friendly is underway, and this is part of the agenda of Gen Z as they are paying more and more attention on to how to protect our planet from the harmful effects of the human factor.
Source: vbox7.com
