Fabrics | Better Fibers For a Better Planet.
We utilize best in practice fabrics that source lowest impact yarns, offering a full range of curated low impact material options for our products and guarantee best available fabrics in today's market.
Organic Cotton
Organic cotton is cotton that is produced and certified to organic agricultural standards. Its production sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people by using natural processes rather than artificial inputs. Importantly organic cotton farming does not allow the use of toxic chemicals or GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Instead, it combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote a good quality of life for all involved. (about Organic Cotton)
Reduces Environmental Footprint
No toxic chemicals are used in the growing of organic cotton. It doesn’t damage the soil, has less impact on the air, and uses 71% less water and 62% less energy. Conventional cotton uses about 16% of the world’s insecticides and 7% of pesticides.
Model For The Future
By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. But organic cotton is 80% rain-fed, which reduces pressure on local water sources. The absence of chemicals also means that water is cleaner and safer. Cotton is often grown in water-scarce areas using irrigation and it takes 2,700 liters of water to make a conventional cotton t-shirt.
Promotes SafeWork & Better Livelihoods
Growing organic cotton keeps farmers and their families safe. They are not exposed to toxic chemicals in the field or through their food and water supply. It also means farmers grow more than one crop which supplements their food and income.
Recover® Recycled Cotton
The Recover Upcycled Textile System regenerates cotton fiber from old clothing and cutting scraps. Recover cotton is produced using none of the water and toxic chemicals required for conventional cotton fiber. (about Recover)
Closing the Loop
The recover® upcycled textile system turns textile waste into valuable new textiles for many life-cycles. Recover creates long-lasting, high value products in each successive generation.
Low Impact
Recover® yarns produce some of the lowest impact textiles in the world. In their latest published Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the recover upcycled textile system saved 42 billion liters of water, 4 million KG's of textile waste, 1.4 million PET bottles, 145 million kWh of energy, and more.
Product Applications
Recover® yarns are used to make materials for almost every product category in fashion. We recover® resources to preserve and restore nature.
The Recover Process
Recover Impacts
Recycled Polyester (RPET)
Polyester is used in roughly 60% of ALL textiles manufactured across the globe. Polyester is plastic. We don't need anymore plastic! Recycled polyester (RPET) is made from post consumer water bottles and can be used to make new fiber for textile manufacturing and diverts plastic waste from ending up in our landfills and oceans. (about RPET)
Petrol Chemical Reduction
Because recycled waste is used in place of crude oil, recycled polyester is free of the social and ethical concerns related to oil extraction. The relatively minimal use of chemicals in processing also reduces the potential for health and safety issues to arise in factories. No animal-based products are required to produce mechanically recycled polyester, so animal welfare is not a concern. Solution dyeing reduces many of the concerns related to conventional dyeing’s impacts to workers and the environment.
Impacts Reduction
Mechanically recycled PET is less then half the impact as virgin polyester. One Kg of woven virgin polyester fabric uses 60 liters of water to produce were as 1 Kg of woven fabric from RPET uses .44 liters of water. In addition to the water savings, the process to produce solution dyed RPET woven fabric uses 50% - 60% less energy then virgin polyester woven fabric and emits roughly 20% less Co2 into our atmosphere then virgin poly.
Waste Diversion
An estimated 5-13 million tons of plastic enter our oceans each year from land-based sources. 49.4 billion plastic water bottles were sold in the United States in 2015. The recycling rate for plastic bottles was only 31.1% which translates to roughly 34 billion plastic bottles that were littered or went into a landfill in 2015. The use of RPET fiber in clothing manufacturing can increase demand for PET recycling which in turn would divert more plastic from entering our oceans and landfills.
Hemp
Hemp is a relatively fast growing annual plant, growing up to 4 meters high in only 3 months. Hemp can easily be incorporated into current cropping systems and is commonly grown in rotation with winter wheat. Hemp is effective in suppressing weeds, thus leading to a reduction in herbicides in the following crop. It also leaves the soil in excellent condition because its deep rooting system improves soil structure and its lack of dependence of herbicides and pesticides helps by breaking pest and disease cycles. (about Hemp)
Soil Deacidification
Due to its extensive root system, hemp can contribute to reducing soil loss and erosion. It is also suitable for crop rotation because the leaves and outer stalks are left in the field and contain nitrogen, the soil is left healthy after harvest, and food crops can be grown immediately without having to leave the fields fallow. As very few fertilizers and pesticides are used, the proliferation of algae favored by an excessive concentration of nutrient in the water is limited; thus the ecosystem balance and biodiversity are better in hemp than in crops that require more chemical inputs.
Water Savings + Natural Performance Attributes
Hemp can grow in most temperate and subtropical climates. It is a rain-fed crop that generally doesn’t require irrigation and is mainly processed through mechanical processes. Additionally, hemp fibers possess natural protection of UV's with most textiles yielding a SPF 15 rating at the minimum with some testing up to SPF 50.