We have some exciting news in the pipeline, something we are really proud of, by the end of 2019 all of our bags will be made from recycled water bottles. We will be starting with 3 bags made from this material - Repreve and then evolving our entire collection into recycled materials.
How does it work?
The bottles are collected, washed and turned into small pellets (or nurdles). The pellets are then melted down and extruded into tape and spun into a yarn.
The yarns are then used to weave into various types of fabric. One of which is the fabric used to make Goodordering bags. Just like other plastics, it can then be coated to be waterproof
It takes approximately 20 used bottles to make one bag.
In this picture above you will see 'nurdles' or plastic pellets - this is what plastic often looks like before it is made or recycled into other products such as water bottles, pens, toys, furniture or plastic containers. Nurdles are about the size of a lentil and also create their own set of problems as they get spilled in nature. Fish and other marine life can mistake them for food and they can enter the food stream quite easily after a big spill during transportation. See this article HERE.
The yarn is woven into fabrics just like any other yarn. Recycled materials can come in all shapes, textures and colours much like any other plastic (nylon, polyester) materials, the only difference is that they are recycled or contain recycled materials within them.
There is a common misconception that recycled materials somehow 'look' recycled. However, to the human eye there is generally no difference in how recycled plastic fabrics look compared with non-recycled plastic based fabrics. Unless the recycled look is designed into the fabric itself, there is no real difference in how the fabric appears.
The above video gives some more information about the fabric we are going to be using at Goodordering. The video gives more information about the actual process and evolving recycled plastic industry. Repreve fabric is certified and used by a range of well established brands around the world.
This video outlines just how many fabrics are already made from recycled plastics. It is a good summary of the whole recycling process when it comes to bottles and transforming these into high performance fabrics.
At Goodordering we are now at the stage where we want all of our bags to be made from recycled materials from 2019 onwards. This is not a gimmick where we are jumping on the sustainability band wagon, this is a core part of why we even starting the brand in the first place. We are so grateful that its now affordable to use recycled materials in bags that are build to function and perform. Using beautiful recycled fabrics to make our bags is in keeping with our philosophy of protecting the environment and looking after our health and the health of future generations.