Is Recycled Polyester Sustainable? Ft. Everlane

It appears everything’s made of polyester these days.  Roaming about The Grove in LA with my sister, I followed her into ASOS. As two professionals in our late twenties/early thirties, we are both trying to polish our wardrobes with sleek and expensive looks. However, we were both a little surprised by how much polyester was on the racks. I’m not a fan of fast-fashion, obviously, but when exploring big retailers, a way to navigate through the ambiguity of what is or isn’t green is to check what clothing is made of (literally). Some of my favorite examples of sustainable fabrics include organic cotton, tencel, hemp and bamboo, which are popping up more and more. I have an infatuation with natural textiles – they feel so soft and earthy on the skin—but there’s something so practical about polyester which always made me sidestep and question what really makes something sustainable.

Polyester can be Sustainable

The thing about polyester is that it lasts basically forever – which yes, is a complete contradiction to what sustainability is all about. However, polyester doesn’t fade, pill, or wear out how some natural fibers can. I have 100% polyester button-downs from when I was a teenager which I usually wear over a cotton camisole. I’ve washed these button downs probably 50-100 times, but they are as vibrant and new-looking as ever. For that, I understand the upsides to poly, which is why I am weirdly optimistic about the potential and realistic outlook towards recycled polyester, or R-PET.

The fleece sweater I’m wearing here was gifted to me by Everlane, and is 100% recycled polyester! It’s from the ReNew Collection which is made entirely from recycled plastic bottles.

The collection includes 13 styles and is made from over 3 million recycled bottles. This sweater in particular is made from 35 renewed plastic bottles.

There are 8 billion tons of plastic on the planet (created in just 60 years). Once it’s made, it never goes away. This is why I think it’s so cool to reuse what already exists into new garments. Everlane made a commitment to remove all virgin plastic from their supply chain by 2021.

This is the type of sweater that’s timeless, incredibly comfortable, and flattering. As someone who’s trying to cool it with bright colors and patterns, the introduction of this piece has been a warm-welcome one to my closet. Now that I’m fangirling over Everlane, I want to gush over some other stuff:

Cost Breakdown

Another cool thing is what they call their ‘radically transparent’ cost breakdowns. You can see exactly how much they’re paying people, how much the materials costs, and why they mark the price of a jacket to a certain amount. For example, they will actually state that the cost of a jacket takes $60 to make, which is why they mark it up 2-3xs to $128. That transparency is wild, and something I’ve never seen done before. The honesty makes me more understanding and appreciative of the cost of their product, and also makes me respect the company for their partnership in crafting a well-made, ethical good.

Factory & Recycling Transparency

Speaking of Everlane’s transparency, you can literally see what it’s like inside their factories around the world. Besides brands like Reformation of Groceries Apparel, this isn’t done these days. As a former regulator in environmental enforcement, I utterly admire how open these companies are in letting the world know that they have nothing to hide and are proud of the ethical, fair practices they support. It’s beautiful actually, seeing photos of satisfied, healthy people working in a clean, brightly-lit building. Not only that, each factory is given a compliance audit (with a goal to score ‘90’ or above) to check for safety, fair wages, and environmental impacts.

Not to mention, they have a beautiful advertising which I am slightly obsessed with:

I think the simplicity and message behind it is genius, but hey — maybe I exaggerate!

If you’re still stumped on how the R-PET thing works, here’s the process (click to enlarge):

Garment Workers

Last month I watched the 2007 documentary Made in LA, which highlighted how textile mills are one of the handful of industries that do not require work-experience, proof of citizenship, or the ability to speak English. Due to this no-background check/no-questions-asked structure (or lack of one), many immigrants end up working there.  However, this system exploits vulnerable people by capitalizing on the poor who have few employment options. Textile factories pay per garment, not by the hour, which means workers are not granted paid breaks. These workers are paid as low as 3.5 cents per garment, which averages to be way under minimum wage, even if working overtime.

Lack of enforcement has made it difficult to instill labor laws within the garment industry.  Many regulatory agencies do not view textile factories are unsafe or toxic places to work, which has left garment workers unprotected for so long. At times it takes 5 years to coax a local agency to conduct an inspection.  The trouble is, once a regulatory agency visits a sweatshop, it’s difficult to hold corporations responsible as it is hard to pinpoint that the clothes made in the sweatshop are the same clothes sold in large retailers.

Big fashion retailers such as Forever 21 hire several layers of contractors who hire workers to sew clothes for them. Due to separation between F21 and the workforce (and loopholes in the law), it is difficult to prove retailers liable for unethical practices, which is a strategic method to continue the exploitation of workers.  The force behind this behavior is fueled by the consumer’s demand to buy clothing for as cheap as possible.

The documentary ‘Made in LA’ depicts the garment industry in the early 2000s, but the situation is the same today, more than 15 years later.  A panelist at the screening in Echo Park during Fashion Revolution Week revealed they are paid only $5 an hour, which is a common situation with garment workers throughout Los Angeles. THIS is why transparency amongst the fashion industry is so needed.

My thoughts on it all? If I haven’t humbly declared it enough, truly, thank god for the rise of the sustainable fashion movement. Transparency is now being demanded, and I’m therefore hopeful for multi-tier workers within fashion. Despite what you can nit-pick, I’m excited for the future of fabrics!

Xo,

Sustainable Daisy