Waardeer je kleren: know what you are wearing

Why it's good to know what you're wearing

Years ago, a friend of mine bought a coat made from recycled PET bottles. Little did he know that this was just a trick to give the coat a sustainable touch. In fact, it's downcycling. You can easily turn a PET bottle into a new PET bottle.

The same applies to old plastic fishing nets. Like PET bottles, these do not belong in clothing or household textiles. It is better to use old plastic fishing nets to make new fishing nets.

Making new clothes from old and damaged clothes

That friend also wears jeans made from cotton balls from the cotton plant combined with recycled cotton. Recycled cotton is created when old and damaged jeans are collected, sorted, shredded and then used to spin yarn. The most important thing is that this requires fewer new raw materials and less water. This is a positive change, good for people and the environment, and it helps to reduce our ever-growing mountain of textile waste.

Yes, the textile industry is changing, but is that change going in the right direction? In addition to the increase in recycled PET and recycled fishing nets, virgin polyester (plastic) is also gaining ground because it is cheaper than natural materials. In short, without us realising it, more and more clothing is being made from plastic, and plastic has also found its way into other textiles in our homes. We now buy plastic fleece blankets, sit on polyester-covered sofas and sleep – without knowing it – under a synthetic duvet with polyester bedding and a plastic pillow.

Recycled cotton on the rise

There is more and more recycled cotton in jeans, sweaters, shirts and towels. Unfortunately, it is not yet standard practice, even though current regulations require manufacturers to do so. For the past few years, manufacturers have even been responsible for the reuse and waste of their products. These regulations state: “From 2025, collected textiles must be processed in such a way that the textile fibres can be reused in materials for clothing or household textiles”. Do you understand why this is not yet happening on a large scale?

That friend still wears the coat; he doesn't dare throw it away.

My ultimate tip: wear what you have and take good care of it. Then don't throw it away, but hand it in so that it can be reused sustainably or, if it is old and broken, recycled.

Curious to find out more?

Read my previous blog that I wrote for the Plastic Soup Foundation and take a look at my website. If you want to know more about what manufacturers are obliged to do, read here.