TEXTILES.ORG
Textile Exchange announced that more than 45 textile, apparel and retail companies have signed a pledge to increase their use of recycled polyester (rPET) by at least 25 percent by 2020.
The pledge has been adopted by major brands such as adidas, Dibella, Eileen Fisher, Gap Inc., H&M, IKEA, Lindex, MetaWear, Target and Timberland.
A 25 percent increase in rPET production by 2020 is projected to provide the following benefits:
- 2.9 billion bottles diverted from landfills.
- 35,329,509 kilogram reduction in human toxicity.
- 1.85 million megajoules saved on primary energy demand.
- 122,823 kilograms Co2 emissions avoided.
“We believe that supporting, on a precompetitive basis, investment in further developing rPET production around the globe will lead to more efficient supply chains and increase the availability of more sustainable fiber choices in the market,” said Karla Magruder, Textile Exchange board member and sustainability consultant, who led the nonprofit’s rPET Working Group.
Zachary Angelini, Timberland’s environmental stewardship manager, said, “We believe rPET can go beyond environmental impact to have social benefits for vulnerable populations.” Timberland currently partners with Thread, “a B corporation that transforms trash from the developing world into recycled polyester.”
A 25 percent increase in rPET production by 2020 is projected to provide a reduction in human toxicity, primary energy demands and carbon dioxide emissions, as well as divert from landfills 2.9 billion plastic bottles.
The companies’ commitments will be tracked via participation in the Polyester Module of Textile Exchange’s annual Preferred Fiber and Materials Benchmark Survey.
Founded in 2002, Textile Exchange is a global nonprofit organization that works with all sectors of the textile supply chain to find the best ways to create positive impacts on water, soil, air, animals and the human population.