“Made from recycled bottles”: Is recycled plastic clothing really the answer to fast fashion problems?

Making new clothes out of recycled materials sounds like a great solution to fashion’s landfill, pollution, and carbon problems. It’s little wonder that we’re seeing more and more brands boasting of clothes made from recycled materials. But, is recycled plastic clothing an effective innovation or is it fashion’s latest fabrication?

Synthetic fibres and synthetic solutions

Polyester, nylon, spandex and acrylic are all synthetic fibres that are made from crude oil or petroleum as the primary raw material.

Simply-put, they are plastics. Chemically-speaking, they are polymers that have long but malleable molecular chains inside them that can be set and reset with temperature changes. [1] This means they can be shaped into various forms, which is why polyester is an option for textiles as well as disposable water bottles or acrylic can be spun into synthetic wool as well as made into fake glass. [2]

Plastics were hailed as the ultimate durable solution after their invention because they never perish – their strength makes it very difficult to break down plastics naturally, which is why they are non-biodegradable in nature. [3] To put this into perspective, the first toothbrush we ever used or the first nappy we wore as a kids are still sitting in some landfill, somewhere, no matter our age! [2]

In some ways, creating plastics is a feat of engineering. Yet, we abused this by using an indisposable material to create very disposable plastic bottles, acrylic sweaters, and polyester t-shirts.

Recycled plastic clothing: the reality

Still, this means that plastic items should be perfect for endless recycling, right?

Sadly not. There are two major challenges with the recycling process:

The first is that every time you recycle these materials, you get less back. It’s not a perfect process. Therefore, synthetic fibres can be recycled up to five times (on average) before they have such low yield that it’s unusable. [4]

The second, and arguably most important, is that the five recycling cycles are only possible when the same product is recycled back into the same application again. A bottle back to a bottle, fibres back to fibres. Any interchanging application can affect the recyclability and the yield. [4]

Plus, in reality, only 1% of synthetic textiles are ever recycled, the majority are sent to landfills or incineration. [5]

Therefore, while it may sound great to read “this t-shirt is made from a plastic bottle”, the reality is it renders that material useless after one cycle of recycling.

In other words, a bottle that could have been recycled to another bottle, becomes a fast-fashion T-shirt that ends up in landfill after a couple of uses and we decide to buy another one. We think we’re doing the right thing, and yet we’re continuing to buy into a system that ensures about one truckload of clothes are being thrown away every second. [4]

Recycled plastic clothing: the issue of microplastics

Although plastics and synthetic fibres are strong due to their long chains, they also release tiny pieces called microplastics, which are about five times smaller than a human hair. Textile fibres, due to their high surface area, release more microplastics than a plastic bottle and a plastic bottle releases more microplastics than a plastic chair. [6, 7]

These microplastics have become a major health concern as they are now found in anything from the human brain to our blood, from the rains to the soil to the tip of Mount Everest. Researchers account for them as a leading cause for many detrimental health effects including, but not limited to, DNA damage, endocrine disruption, developmental issues and neurotoxicity. [6, 8]

Recycled materials can potentially shed more microplastics than virgin ones, because the setting and resetting of polymer chains can result in more loose ends. Researchers are working to get more details on this.

How to ensure you have a truly sustainable wardrobe

It is for all these reasons I truly believe we cannot recycle our way to a sustainable wardrobe. From their fossil fuel source to their landfill end, from the energy-intensive and limited recycling options to their release of microplastics, we ultimately need to phase out using synthetic fibres for fashion items.

As a textile scientist, and since my time as a chemistry student, I’ve avoided buying synthetic fibers. The best time for us all to start doing the same, is now.

I firmly believe that what we send to the water, soil and land, comes back to our bodies. If you believe the same, here are four quick steps I recommend to help you enjoy a more sustainable wardrobe:

Whether buying new or on Vinted, avoid buying synthetic fibres. If the label lists any of these, put it back: Polyester, Nylon, Spandex, Lycra, Elastane, Acrylic, Art Silk, Polyurethane or PU, Acetate.

Do not throw out the existing synthetic fibres in your wardrobe. Instead, try to maximise their use through repair and reuse.

Always wash synthetic fibre clothes on a cool cycle, ideally with a microplastics filter to minimise their release into water streams. Air dry to avoid further release of microplastics through extreme heat drying.

When you really can’t get any more use out of them, send your items to a trusted recycling facility or, if you’re feeling creative, upcycle into permanent use items like bags.

Aishwarya Lahariya, is co-founder of JIWYA, a 100% plant-based luxury fashion brand rooted in artisan heritage design using only regenerative and native plant resources and removing all synthetic materials and toxic chemicals. It follows a zero-waste approach and it takes responsibility for the garment’s entire lifespan.

References:

[1] https://essentialchemicalindustry.org/polymers/polyesters.html
[2] https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/plastic-in-textiles-towards-a
[3] https://www.xometry.com/resources/materials/polymer-vs-plastic/
[4] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108256
[5] Ellen MacArthur Foundation, A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion’s future (2017).
[6] https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/envhealth.3c00052
[7] https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html
[8] https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230227-how-to-recycle-your-clothes

Main image: Photo by Mikhail Nilov | Pexels