Plastic bottle recycling textiles become a new trend: sustainable development and global trends！

01 Global cities are seriously polluted by plastic

A recent environmental science paper published in the internationally renowned academic journal Nature stated that researchers have established and published a comprehensive list of large plastic pollution at the city scale, revealing the distribution of plastic waste pollution hotspots in more than 50,000 cities around the world.

Based on the results of the study, it is estimated that 52.1 million metric tons of large plastics are discharged into the environment each year, about 57% are burned in the open air, and 43% are unburned fragments. Discarded garbage is the largest source of plastic pollution in the global north, while uncollected waste is the main source in the global south.

So, where do these discarded plastic bottles go? Unfortunately, although up to 1 million plastic bottles are sold every minute worldwide, less than half of the discarded plastic bottles can be effectively recycled and used. Among them, only 7% of plastic bottles are recycled and made into new bottles. Most plastic bottles are either mixed with garbage and landfilled or flow into the ocean, causing serious environmental problems.

02 Plastic bottle recycling and clothing production

Discarded plastic bottles are collected, crushed, melted, and then colored to produce fibers. These fibers are further processed into yarns and eventually made into various types of clothing. Professional manufacturers use recycled plastic bottles to make textiles, demonstrating an innovative approach to sustainable development, processing 1.5 million plastic bottles per day, thereby reducing pollution and waste of water and energy.

03 Plastic recycled textiles have great market potential

Among them, polyester fiber occupies a pivotal position in the field of clothing and textiles. It is worth mentioning that China is not only the world's largest PET producer, but also a major consumer. In 2017, China's annual production of polyester fiber reached 39,000 tons, accounting for more than 85% of China's total fiber production. Compared with cotton fabrics, polyester fiber clothing has won wide popularity among the public due to its excellent breathability, elasticity, wrinkle resistance and low price. For this reason, this type of fiber has been widely used in summer clothes, jerseys, down jackets and shoes. As a professional integrated plastic recycling equipment manufacturer, Kitech Machinery can provide customers with a series of equipment such as crushers, shredders, dehydrators, recycling washing lines, granulation production lines, etc. At the same time, we are equipped with professional technical teams and sales teams to provide you with high-quality services throughout the process.

04 Indian Prime Minister Modi's environmental protection display

On February 8, 2023, at the New Delhi Parliamentary Budget Meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared in a blue jacket carefully made from recycled plastic bottles. This jacket is made of recycled plastic bottles. One jacket saves 90% of water resources and reduces 50% of energy consumption, showing the green revolution in the textile industry. This jacket will be more widely displayed at the India Energy Week in Bangalore on February 9. By wearing this jacket made of recycled plastic bottles, Modi conveyed a profound message about sustainable development to the public. Ronalda Modi wore a jacket made of recycled plastic bottles, conveying the message of sustainable development and showing it at the India Energy Week, highlighting India's efforts in environmental protection.

05 Sustainable development of the textile industry

Many companies have successfully transformed recycled plastic bottles into practical textiles, setting an example for the global sustainable textile industry. Compared with traditional textile production methods, the method of producing fibers using recycled PET not only saves up to 90% of water resources, but also reduces energy consumption by 50%.

06 Environmental protection and commercial value of plastic bottle recycling

The process of recycling plastic bottles into recycled fibers not only embodies the concept of environmental protection, but also contains huge commercial potential. These seemingly cheap plastic bottles can be transformed into high-value-added daily necessities after a series of recycling processes. For example, only 3 plastic bottles are needed to make a practical drawstring bag; 1 shoe or 1 T-shirt only needs 12 plastic bottles. What is even more surprising is that these football jerseys and sportswear recycled from plastic bottles, although low in cost, can be sold at a high price of hundreds of yuan. Moreover, because they are labeled as environmentally friendly, they are deeply loved and sought after by fans at home and abroad.