Product Innovation
Designing for reuse and less waste requires an investment in innovation and cutting-edge sustainable materials.
Using recycled materials in our products helps to reduce waste, eases pressures on freshwater resources, and lowers demand for virgin resources.
Our Goals for Product
2022
30% of polyester used in sportswear apparel made from recycled alternatives.
2023
50% of polyester used in sportswear apparel made from recycled alternatives. Introduce a cost-effective performance fabric with more sustainable components than traditionally derived polyester.
2024
Prioritize long-lasting materials. In certain circumstances recycled polyester will shorten the performance properties of a garment. As such we will use the material suited for the longest lifespan of a product because ultimately buying less is the best way to reduce waste.
Recycled Polyester
AFTCO Is Proud to Offer Recycled Polyester to Help Tackle Plastic Pollution
Utilizing recycled polyester helps reduce waste, energy consumption, and freshwater usage in comparison to virgin polyester. Recycled polyester also produces less CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process. The equivalent of a dump truck full of plastic is added to our oceans from land-based sources every minute, and the apparel industry is responsible for an estimated 20% of global wastewater. Recycled polyester can help play a role in addressing these problems.
Recycled Polyester Is Only a Start
We want to continue collaborating with our partners to enable more circular textile-to-textile recycling. Utilizing recycled polyester is a step in the right direction, but it certainly isn’t a perfect solution. Polyester used in apparel is often blended with other fibers which can make the possibility of further recycling more difficult. American’s generate an estimated 17 million tons of textile waste each year and much of that is either burned or ends up in a landfill. While polyester has many performance benefits, a long-term fiber solution ultimately lies within a circular system that enables previously owned garments to be properly recycled.
What Can You Do to Help Tackle Plastic Pollution With Your Clothing Purchase?
1. Purchase high quality goods that you will use often, repair when possible, and donate after use
2. Locate your nearest apparel donation location
3. See how ocean plastic pollution impacts our fishing heritage
4. Visit our partners at REPREVE®, the world’s leading brand of recycled performance fiber
Through the use of ECONYL® regenerated nylon and partnerships with drirelease®, LABTEX, and our GRS Certified Suppliers, we continue to explore sustainable alternatives along with ways to incorporate often underutilized organic materials.
What We're Up To
Rescue Collection made with ECONYL® Nylon
AFTCO is proud to announce the Rescue line of fishing clothing featuring ECONYL® yarn, a 100% regenerated nylon fiber made from nylon waste otherwise polluting the Earth, like fishing nets, carpet flooring and industrial plastic rescued from all over the world.
