MUDE’s concern for environmental protection leads us to research and promote sustainable solutions for our industry.
The Facts
Fabrics used on sportswear are mainly made of polyester fibers, because its properties make it an ideal material for sports practice; lightness, sweat absorption, quick dry, breathability, digital sublimation print…
The raw material to produce polyester fiber is PET (polyethylene tetraphyte), the same source as used for plastic bottles.
Plastic pollution created mainly by single use products is destroying our planet. When disintegrating it drains into land soil, underground rivers and oceans, poisoning human and wildlife and destroying our environment. A plastic bottle needs 700 years to decompose.
Recycled PET -> Recycled Fabrics -> ECO Garments
Creating polyester fabric from plastic bottles has an enormous positive impact on the planet. Traditional polyester depends on the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. Using recycled polyester instead makes use of the millions of plastic bottles already in existence.
RECYCLED polyester performs as good as traditional fibre but in comparison, and according to a 2017 study by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, its production:
- Consumes 59% less energy
- Reduces 32% emissions of CO2
And besides of that:
- Reduces 100% extraction of crude oil
- Contributes to reduce plastic pollution problem.
How plastic bottles are turned into a brand new piece of clothing?
Many people and companies are involved in this process, from small collectors to big fiber manufacturers but not powerful oil companies.
- Collecting: It all starts from collection post-consumer material and delivery to packing facilities. Many social initiatives are created to help vulnerable comunities as well as many programs for collective participation to clean rivers or beaches.
- Baling: The collected materials are crushed and packed into cubes for easy transport to sorting plants.
- Sorting: All material pass through sorting machines to remove anything that has been wrongly added. This sorting includes color sorting.
- Chop & wash: Bottles are cut into small flakes by large cutting machines, then washed to remove any labels and adhesives.
- Extrusion: The flakes are stretched out and then chopped into small pieces known as PET pellets. PET pellets from recycled origin are named R-PET.
R-PET pellets are now the raw material to produce any PET product, new bottles, new polyester fibre … From now onwards the process is the same as for production of any product made from regular PET. The only difference is that these R-PET pellets are made from post-consumer products.
- From R-PET pellet to fibre: R-PET pellets are heated and then stretched into very fine string fibre.
- Spinning: Hundreds of these fibers are tied together, creating the polyester yarn.
- Knitting: This yarn is rolled around a cone and sent to knitting mills producing the fabric.
- Dye and finishing: The greige fabric is washed or dyed, processed with last treatments and rolled. Now it’s ready to be sent to our cutting section to start the final garment manufacturing.
MUDE’s commitments
Our goal is not to save the planet but, at our small grade, contribute to it.
Since 2018 MUDE is offering to its customers garments made on fabrics produced with RECYCLED polyester, which comes from RECYCLED PET
Quality & Health
Our RECYCLED fabrics have the exact same properties as traditional Polyester fabrics. Same physical attributes, same color fastness and free of harmful substances. We are committed to it and an international independent lab like Intertek https://www.intertek.com/testing proves it.
Reliable Sources
In order to guarantee quality, health and to ensure that our RECYCLED fabrics are made according to international recycle standards, we only work with GRS certified suppliers who can provide a certification for each lot of yarn provided.
Expansion and promotion
At this stage, our challenge is to be able to offer more RECYCLED fabrics, and convince final customers to switch gradually to ECO products.
Nowadays RECYCLED polyester is a new product in textile industry, and production costs still higher than traditional polyester. Due to that, customer must be willing to spend slightly more for a RECYCLED item.
But, don´t you think that the benefits for humanity and the planet pays the cost? Mind that as soon as demand for RECYCLED products rises, sooner the prices will drop. Moreover, the recycling industry will develop up to the point that the polyester garments will be recycled aswell, becoming a closed loop system; “garments from recycled polyester aim to be continuously recycled”
Performance combined with trusted sustainability makes a big difference for our future. Our recycled garments help us to connect consumers with innovative products and a powerful sustainable story.
