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I finally spoke up about the 'sustainable' fabric trend at our design meeting
Last week, during our monthly design review in Portland, I had to push back on the team's push for recycled polyester in the new activewear line. Everyone was talking about how it was the 'green' choice, but three years ago I worked on a project using that exact material. We sourced it from a supplier in Vietnam, and after six months of wear testing, the pieces pilled so badly they looked worn out. The cost was 40% higher than regular polyester, and the carbon footprint of shipping it halfway around the world was never in the report. I think we're just swapping one problem for another and calling it progress. Has anyone else found a truly durable recycled performance fabric that doesn't fall apart?
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hugo3196mo ago
I used to agree with that about high quality recycled polyester. But my experience was with a top tier supplier and we still got the pilling issue after just a few months of real use. It made me realize the quality can vary wildly even with good suppliers, and the testing reports don't always show how it holds up over time.
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spencer4006mo ago
Didn't a recent study show recycled fibers break down faster in wash tests?
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mark_ward5mo ago
The real problem might be the mix of fabrics, not just the recycled content. A recycled polyester blend could fail where a pure one holds up.
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