By Melissa Donovan
A number of reasons exist to turn to sustainable-minded products in our daily lives, whether it’s for work or personal choice. On the production floors of wide format print shops, businesses work with materials that are considered “green” to help the environment and meet their customers’ eco-commitments.
When it comes to printing textiles, there is a selection of products from a handful of vendors made up of recycled single-use plastic waste or other recycled components.
Above: UFabrik offers products using accredited recycled yarn, specifically yarn produced from recycled single waste PET plastic waste.
Recycled vs. Virgin
Textiles made from recycled single-use plastic waste or other recycled components are becoming more important for a number of reasons.
“Textiles are the number one contributor to microplastics in our environment. User recycled content is a great step in a reduction of the seriousness of microplastics,” shares Ken Bach, business development manager, Aberdeen Fabrics, Inc.
Using textiles made up of recycled components is a huge contributor to reducing waste. “On average 80 percent of plastic bottles end up in a landfill. Using materials made out of recycled polyester is important to reduce and ultimately stop plastic ending up in landfills or our oceans,” shares Grainne Brennan, head of sustainable products, Premex Solutions, Inc.
Supporting the use of fabrics made of recycled components is good practice. “It minimizes the number of water bottles and other plastics from landfills and oceans. This aids in conserving natural resources such as oil and water needed to produce virgin polyester,” explains Scott Fisher, president, Fisher Textiles, Inc.
“Recycling reduces the need for virgin materials, which help to conserve natural resources and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with extraction and production,” adds Steven Amitai, GM, Greentex America.
The move to fabric made from recycled content supports a circular economy. “With the introduction of another source of raw fiber—domestically harvested, recycled plastic—there is hope that the material supply chain will diversify enough to interrupt the historical trend of price spikes, supply shortages, and politically motivated trade interference,” notes Mike Glaser, co-founder, RePatriot Flag, LLC.
Brett Platt, textiles business manager, UFabrik, sees demand for environmentally responsible, high performing, well-priced materials from global brands that meet sustainability goals. “All of us need to develop solutions that consider their environmental impact.”
Understanding Standards
A number of programs certify and verify whether a fabric is made from recycled components like single-use plastic waste.
One is the U.S.-based REPREVE from Unifi, Inc. Made from recycled plastic bottles, REPREVE yarns include FiberPrint tracer technology, which analyzes and validates the REPREVE fiber content. A third-party laboratory through the U Trust verification program evaluates the fabric and determines the amount of REPREVE polyester.
“To be considered a REPREVE textile, the product must contain a minimum of 30 percent REPREVE yarn. This means at least 30 percent of the material used to make the textile must be made from recycled plastic bottles using the REPREVE FiberPrint technology,” continues Fisher.
Unifi issues a certification number and certificate annually. “This provides accountability in the supply chain and allows customers to verify that the product they purchase is made from sustainable materials,” says Fisher.
“The REPREVE program is revered because it provides a traceable and certifiable way to verify that a product contains recycled content,” seconds Amitai.
Companies like UFabrik offer products using accredited recycled yarn, specifically yarn produced from recycled single waste PET plastic waste, but it isn’t necessarily accredited by Unifi or uses REPREVE. According to Platt, UFabrik is a fully certified range, “which is a vital component in the procurement and specification process.”
Another certification method is the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) facilitated by the non-profit Textile Exchange. GRS includes a higher—50 percent—minimum recycled content percentage and additional social and environmental requirements related to processing and chemical use. A professional, third-party certification body audits each stage in the supply chain to allow a product to be labeled with the GRS logo.
“Using a certified recycled yarn—whether it be REPREVE or GRS certified—helps monitor how yarns are processed and acquired. This is an integral part of providing recycled content products. It validates and sets a standard for all suppliers to follow,” explains Kylie Schleicher, director of product development and product management, Ultraflex Systems, Inc.
Ultraflex categorizes its ReSource materials as those that are made with 100 percent GRS certified recycled yarns. “We do have other materials that contain about ten percent recycled yarns, but we do not qualify it as our ReSource, recycled yarn materials,” notes Schleicher.
Serge Ferrari is another example. As a European manufacturer, it utilizes high-quality, highly regarded European-made products in its Seemee Loop Mesh and Frontlit Portfolio.
“All polyester chips, yarns, and fabrics used in the manufacturing of all Loop products are GRS certified according to GRS 4.0. It is certified that the PET chips/yarns/fabrics are made from 100 percent post-consumer waste,” shares Dr. Peter Siemens, R&D director, Serge Ferrari.
Fabric Type
Polyester and polyester-based fabrics are common contenders for textiles made from recycled components, this is because plastic bottles essentially become sustainable polyester.
Other fibers like nylon and spandex are incorporated with recycled components during manufacturing, admits Fisher.
Natural fibers like cotton are generally not compatible—specifically in relation to REPREVE, according to Amitai, “because the process used to create the recycled polyester fiber requires high heat.”
Brennan says that it’s possible to incorporate recycled polyester into linen. For example, Premex Solutions offers a product that is 48 percent REPREVE polyester, 44 percent polyester, and eight percent linen.
Bach notes that other fabrics can utilize recycled polyester, “but that limits or eliminates the opportunity for polyester pure recycling. In this case, it is best to keep the product 100 percent polyester contact.”
Despite Drawbacks
While there are advantages of using a textile made up of recycled content, there are also some disadvantages.
REPREVE textiles do cost more than both their non-certified and virgin component counterparts. “This is due to the proprietary manufacturing process and certification offered by REPREVE,” explains Fisher.
“Products made with GRS certified yarns are more expensive than products made with virgin yarns,” adds Schleicher.
Glaser says that in this vein, if a customer has to pay more for a product, it should be a quality product, in so much that durability and colorfastness be improved upon over its prior form. Although, he notes that the price difference between virgin polyester and recycled polyester is shrinking.
As a result, “print providers may be able to charge more for applications using REPREVE textiles, but the decision ultimately depends on market demand and the perceived value of sustainable products to their customers as well as their commitment to the environment,” admits Amitai.
“REPREVE yarns cost around 20 percent more than standard polyester counterparts. Therefore, this is reflected in the price, which can be demanded from providers of REPREVE textiles,” suggests Brennan.
Luckily, there are really no other caveats to be aware of like ink compatibility or dot gain, wash fastness, or handling. And if there are any challenges, “companies like Greentex provide guidelines and recommendations for handling and printing to help ensure optimal results,” says Amitai.
“Generally speaking, no special handling is needed. Print and ink compatibility is the same as regular polyester,” shares Fisher.
“We have found there to be no difference in performance, printability, handle, or wash fastness when compared to virgin polyester fabrics. The only difference we have seen is the shade of the cloth. As the yarn is produced from recycled plastic there is a blue tint to the shade of the cloth,” says Brennan.
“The only difference between recycled versus virgin polyester-based fabrics is the color white point has a slightly darker L* value,” adds Bach.
Glaser says that certain fabrics—while they include recycled components and meet standards put forth by companies like REPREVE—may not meet the necessary standards of the application in question.
“REPREVE nylon cannot be used in the outdoor flag industry, to date. The luster type of the nylon created by Unifi—semi-dull and dull—does not possess the required UV resistance to be useful for long duration, outdoor exposure. Should there become a bright luster version of REPREVE nylon, it would have the potential to change the face of the flag industry as we know it,” acknowledges Glaser.
Fabric Does its Part
Consider working with textiles consisting of recycled versus virgin components the next time you quote a job. There are a variety of reasons to do so from minimizing what goes into landfills and the ocean to conserving natural resources. Visit digitaloutput.net/webinars to view a recent broadcast on the topic.
Jul2023, Digital Output
