Metrics

Filament and staple fibres made from recycled polyester are being produced through mechanical and chemical processes to address cost, supply and environmental issues. One such source of recycled fibre is the Tejin closed loop chemical recycling process. Public, peer-reviewed life cycle assessment (LCA) data for this technology is limited, but more general LCA research on recycling polyester (PET) bottles into fibres is available. This found that carbon savings of 25-75% can be achieved compared to virgin raw material production [1].

Teijin indicate that producing t-shirts using their Eco Circle™ technology gives a 77% carbon saving compared to using virgin polyester [2].

^1. Shen L, Worrell E, Patel MK, 2010, Open-loop recycling: A LCA case study of PET bottle-to-fibre recycling, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Vol 58, pp.34-52
^2. Teijin - Eco Circle™