Sears to Introduce Recycled Plastic Suit Line
Looking for new duds made of recycled materials? If you’re in the market for business wear, Sears has what you’re seeking with a new line of suits that blends wool with polyester spun from recycled plastic soda bottles. Each suit utilizes about 25 two-liter bottles made from polyethylene (PET).
Sold under Sears’ Covington Perfect brand, the suits will launch in May in 500 U.S. Sears stores. According to Reuters, the suits are priced at $175 for the jacket and $75 for the pants.
A money-saver also comes in the care of the suit, as it is machine washable and dryer safe – no dry-cleaning required. This is partially due to the fabric blend of the suits, which are 54 percent recycled polyester, 42 percent wool and 4 percent spandex.
Each suit in Sear's new line will contain approximately 25 two-liter bottles made from polyethylene (PET). Photo: Huffingtonpost.com
Teijin, the Japanese company who makes the fabric, also works with retailers to recycle used polyester clothing back into fabric and new clothes.
When turning the PET bottles into fabric yarn, the company does not “use any oil,” said Moses Cohen, sales and marketing manager for N.I. Teijin Shoji (USA), Inc., the New York branch of Teijin. “This isn’t the polyester of the 1970s,” he added.
The process involves milling PET bottles into flakes, which are then granulated into pellets. The pellets are turned into the fiber that is blended with wool yarn to make the fabric.
In his interview with Reuters, Cohen called Sears the first retailer to “have the guts and the vision” to commit to the line of eco-friendly menswear. The suit were initially launched in test stores in Boston, Chicago and the metropolitan New York area.
According to GreenDesign.com, Teijin first made its debut producing textiles from recycled materials while working with Patagonia, when the two companies launched the Common Threads Recycling Program in 2005.
