Yes that’s right, our Eco-Lite™ range is made out of recycled plastic bottles, or to use its official term recycled polyethylene terephthalate. Here at Apexgray HQ we’re big believers in decreasing our carbon footprint – and that goes right down to sourcing the best materials for your gymwear.
So how do you make leggings out of bottles?!
Well lets take a little sidestep first and talk about the elephant in everyone’s room – plastic. Virgin plastic (polyethylene terephthalate) is created using crude oil and natural gases. It is processed and heated to form a molten liquid. This liquid is generally used one of two ways; to create fabric – which we know as polyester – or to create solid plastic containers, i.e water bottles, food containers etc. And even though most types of PET are highly recyclable, less than half of the plastic bottles produced each year make it to a recycling facility. When they do, cleaning them sufficiently to become other food containers is really tricky (only around 7% are remade into usable bottles), which means they have to be put to other uses such as…….. fabric. It is cleaned, shredded, crushed and melted to be spun into thread. Recycled polyester fabric can be used to make all sorts of products, such as grocery bags, backpacks, and in this case – gym leggings.
Every item of rPET clothing that is purchased is reducing the amount of waste ending up in landfill, it is less bottles ending up in the ocean, being tossed in the countryside, or dropped at the kerbside. It is one less virgin garment being produced that will never ever go away. It is strengthening the market for recyclable and reusable materials and sending the message that as consumers we stand by sustainability. Plastic in any form will never truly disappear. It cannot be unmade or broken down into its component parts. But it can reformed into something else.
Our flagship Eco-Lite™ leggings and bra tops are made from 84% recycled polyester. They come to you in reusable zip lock bags and are delivered in 100% recycled packaging. They are environmentally friendly in every which way we can make them. They are quick drying, flexible, breathable, and they are the softest leggings I’ve ever felt!
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This Post Has 2 Comments
Hello. I am interested in hearing where your fabric is manufactured and have you any samples of the different fabric before I order the leggings.
Thank you
Hi Veronica,
Our fabric is made under a Japanese patented license by an environmentally accredited mill in China. Unfortunately we have no swatches of fabric to send out.