{"id":4385,"date":"2021-01-18T15:27:09","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T15:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spwear.es\/los-tejidos-reciclados-deporte-sostenible\/"},"modified":"2022-08-24T09:37:07","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T09:37:07","slug":"recycled-fabrics-sustainable-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spwear.es\/en\/recycled-fabrics-sustainable-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"Recycled Fabrics: Sustainable Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The plastic production grows every year. Only in 2017, 400 million tons of virgin plastic<\/strong> were produced, 99% of which comes from chemical products derived from petroleum, a polluting and non-renewable raw material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main problem is not only how much plastic we assemble or how we normally produce it, but the use we give to it and how we manage its residues. Regarding its use, half of the plastic we produce is designed to be used only once. For example: a million plastic bottles are sold every minute. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only 9% of the plastic produced is recycled<\/strong>, 12% is incinerated and the remaining 79% ends up in landfills or in the ecosystem.<\/strong> <\/p>(Source: World Environment Day<\/a>).<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All of these factors contribute to the accumulation of plastic waste in nature. It is estimated that if we continue behaving this way, in 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given this situation, people are increasingly aware of changing their consumption habits, looking for more ethical products with less environmental impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adaptation of the textile industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Recycled<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Until a few years ago, the textile industry was part of the problem, but now it is part of the solution. The environmental problem generated by plastics, added to the growing demand on \u201ceco-friendly\u201d clothing<\/strong>, has pushed textile companies to transform their production chains, adapting them to a circular economy<\/strong>, and allowing them to create and develop environmentally friendly products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, in recent years, its main strategy has been the development and manufacture of recycled fabrics<\/strong> to give a new life to plastic waste, helping it not to end up in our ecosystems but in durable and high quality garments<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should you use recycled fabrics in Sports?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The textile industry, specifically the Sports industry, can play a key role in this change. Due to the technical and performance requirements of sportswear, most textile products are made with synthetic fabrics<\/strong>, therefore it is a market that, using recycled fabrics<\/strong>, has the ability to dispose of a large volume of plastic waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technologies have come a long way in recycling plastic and turning it into fibers, and its variety and quality are practically identical to the fibers created from virgin plastic, allowing the creation of all types of fabrics that have the same characteristics and qualities than the non-recycled ones. Consequently, the use of recycled technical fabrics<\/strong> in sports does not mean a decrease in the quality of the garments and, therefore, does not affect the performance of the athlete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can recycle 70 plastic bottles with each meter of fabric.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As we have previously mentioned, sports has a great capacity to give plastics a new use. For example, with one meter of fabric you can produce a simple sports shirt, and then, with that meter of fabric we can recycle 70 plastic bottles<\/strong>. Also, with polyamide, one meter of recycled polyamide has the capacity to reuse 135g of fishing nets<\/strong>. Furthermore, synthetic fabrics are much more resistant than natural ones<\/strong>, so much more durable garments will be created and, once they reach the end of their useful life, polyester and polyamide products will be very easy to recycle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of recycled fabrics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Synthetic fabrics<\/strong> are the most common for sports, this is why we are going to focus on them: <\/p>\n\n\n\n