When you picture things made from recycled plastic bottles, trendy workout gear, beautiful rugs, and bedding might not be the first items that come to mind. Then again, companies are getting creative in their approaches to environmentally sound business practices and there is a surplus of single-use plastic bottles cluttering our landfills and oceans. Find out how these 7 companies have tackled plastic to create amazing products:
Athletic Wear
Leggings are one of the most surprising things made from recycled plastic bottles, but Girlfriend Collective has done just that. Each pair of leggings is made from 25 plastic bottles.
Parkas and Jackets
You can get a down sweater, a parka, a hoodie, and plenty of other pieces of clothing with recycled polyester from plastic bottles when you shop at Patagonia.
Loafers & Flats
Rothy’s uses recycled plastic bottles in their eco-conscious line of shoes , including loafers and flats for women and sneakers for kids. As of late 2019, Rothy’s had recycled 41.5 million plastic water bottles into their products.
Shoelaces
Allbirds shoe laces are all made out of recycled plastic water bottles. Their eco-friendly initiatives don’t end there, with sustainable materials like merino wool, eucalyptus pulp, and sugar cane in their line of comfy footwear.
Carpeting
Companies like NewLife Rugs make rugs from recycled plastic bottles because the type of plastic used is both strong and lightweight, making for excellent materials for indoor and outdoor rugs. Plastic bottles are recycled and re-purposed into threads that make up the fibers of some carpets.
Fleece Sweatshirt
The Everlane ReNEW Fleece Sweatshirt fabric is made from 35 recycled plastic bottles. Beyond using recycled polyester in their clothing, Everlane’s business model is built on transparency and ethical product production.
Comforters
Instead of using feathers, Buffy uses the plastic of 50 bottles for their down comforters. Their products also use eucalyptus fiber, which is more sustainable and environmentally friendly than cotton.