Who’s Heard of Fabrics Made from Plastic Bottles? Raise Your Hand!
If you haven’t heard about textiles made from recycled plastic bottles yet, you might be missing out! Today, PERMA® will introduce you to the fascinating world of fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles.
Many of you are probably familiar with polyester, scientifically known as Polyethylene Terephthalate or PET, commonly found in plastic water bottles. Did you know that used plastic bottles can be cleaned and transformed into polyester fibers for textiles? Here’s how:
The Process of Turning Plastic Bottles into Textiles
- Label and Cap Removal: Remove labels and caps from recycled plastic bottles, then shred the bottles into small plastic pieces.
- Cleaning and Drying: Thoroughly clean and dry the plastic pieces to ensure no contaminants remain.
- Color Sorting: Precisely separate the plastic pieces by color.
- Crystallization: Heat the plastic pieces at 90°C for 18 hours in a crystallization chamber.
- Melting and Extrusion: Melt and compress the plastic in an extruder, then push it through a spinneret to form continuous fibers.
- Cooling and Solidifying: The fibers pass through a cool air tunnel to dry and harden.
- Stretching and Crimping: Stretch and crimp the fibers to develop texture and elasticity.
- Cutting and Drying: Cut the fibers and dry them on a conveyor belt through an oven.
These steps transform recycled plastic bottles into fibers ready for use in textiles.
PERMA’s Unique Innovation: Nano Zinc Integration
As a leader in sustainable textiles, PERMA® takes this process a step further. During the crystallization stage, we incorporate Nano Zinc Masterbatch PET chips into the plastic. This adds powerful anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties to the fibers.
How Sustainable Is PERMA Fiber?
Did you know? 1 kilogram of PERMA® recycled fiber is made from approximately 40 PET bottles (1.5 liters each). This amount can be spun into yarn, woven into fabric, and tailored into 7-8 PERMA® Anti-Bacterial T-shirts.
Each PERMA® T-shirt reduces waste by repurposing 16 PET bottles (600ml each). Not only does PERMA® care about the health of its wearers, but we are also committed to fostering an eco-friendly industry.
PERMA® Caring for You and the Planet. 🌍
