Polyester is a petroleum-based product. But, fortunately for the environment, we don't need to get petroleum from the ground in order to make polyester fabrics. Instead, we can make polyester fabrics by recycling other petroleum-based products like plastic water and soda bottles, plastic trash bags, even other polyester fabrics. In addition to minimizing the use of petroleum, recycling these petroleum-based products keeps them out of landfills and incinerators, thus prolonging landfill life and reducing toxic emissions from incinerators.
Using recycled polyester:
- Reduces our use of, and our dependence on, oil.
- Creates less air, water and soil contamination.
Because the recycling process breaks down the recycled products into the basic building blocks of polyester (monomers), there is no difference in quality or cleanliness between recycled polyester fabric and virgin polyester fabric. In fact, when you consider the environmental benefits, recycled polyester fabric is far superior.
All of our performance apparel is made with recycled polyester fabric (ranging from 70% recycled to 100% recycled).
We know that using recycled polyester is not going to solve all of our environmental problems, but we do believe that it will make a difference. We hope you agree.
The most environmentally significant aspect of polyester fabric is its capacity to be recycled into new polyester fabric. This is important for three principal reasons:
- The production of recycled polyester uses 84% less energy and emits 77% less carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) than the production of virgin polyester.
- Virgin polyester is made from petroleum, so by recycling we are reducing our use of this limited resource.
- Recycling polyester apparel keeps it out of landfills and incinerators.
All of our jerseys are made with recycled polyester fabric (ranging from 70% recycled to 100% recycled) and many of our jerseys can be recycled into new polyester fabric which can be used to make new jerseys. Our jerseys that can be recycled into new polyester fabric carry the “Recycled & Recyclable!” tag. Here’s a link to our “Recycled & Recyclable” jerseys. Here are instructions on returning our jerseys for recycling.
There's nothing quite like slipping into the soft comfort of a favorite cotton t-shirt. But if that t-shirt was made from conventionally grown cotton, it's a nightmare for the environment.
Globally, conventionally grown cotton crops use 25% of all insecticides and 10% of all pesticides (including insecticides, herbicides and defoliants). It takes nearly one-third of a pound of synthetic fertilizers to grow enough cotton for a single t-shirt! The toxic residue from these chemicals, many of which are known carcinogens, pollutes the soil and waterways and kills wildlife, not to mention the harm to the health of the farm workers and the people who live near the fields where the cotton is grown.
Fortunately, we don't have to give up our cotton t-shirts. We just need to use organic cotton, grown naturally without synthetic chemicals.
All of our cotton t-shirts are made with 100% organically grown cotton, which has the same soft, comfortable feel as conventionally grown cotton without the adverse environmental effects.
And all of our cotton t-shirts can be recycled. Here are instructions on returning our cotton t-shirts for recycling.