Since 2017, we are all more aware of the damaging effects of plastic to our environment. Billions of plastic bottles are disposed of each year… many of these ending up in landfill or the ocean.
Today’s spotlight is on Boca Terry; a luxury brand who design, manufacture and distribute textiles to top tier hotels and resorts as well as many other leisure facilities. With a passion for the environment and sustainability, Boca Terry have taken their first steps to produce a bathrobe made purely from recycled plastic bottles: the Microterry.
So how does durable plastic turn into soft clothing?
1.The plastic bottles are shredded and sent to China, where they are sorted into clear and coloured plastic.
2.The plastic is then put through two baths to remove coloured lids and any stickers from the bottles, resulting in clear plastic shreds ready to dry out in the oven. Once dry, the mixture heads through a rotating screw, heated to 270 ºC, the plastic melts and is forced through a sieve, creating long strings which make thread.
3.Next, the thread is combined and stretched with heat until the fibres are bonded and torn apart again to create fluff. This is then scraped onto rough cloth to be carded*. Next, the polyester sheet needs to be turned into thread, creating pure polyester. The loom draws in thousands of threads to weave a new sheet of polyester. The final steps include creating tiny loops on the surface of the material which are then caught and torn with tough steel brushes to make material soft to the touch.
4.Finally the material is then ready to be cut into items of clothing… and Voila! Plastic bottles are turned into polyester!
Watch the video to see the process from plastic bottle to polyester in full.
*Carding is the process where bonded fibres are brushed together so they lie in the same direction, strengthening the material.
Using plastic bottles to make clothing reduces the amount of plastic left in landfills and the environment, which we believe is a great movement towards a greener planet.
Of course, this solves one problem by recycling plastic however; it does pose the question… what happens when the robes are no longer needed and how do we dispose of these?
View the Microterry robe here