Schoolwear manufacturer Trutex reached the milestone of saving over 18 million plastic bottles from landfill in 2021 through using recycled polyester.
The data is taken from sales across blazers, trousers and skirts in styles that certified 100% recycled polyester which is made from plastic bottles. Trutex blazers, with all recycled fabric including the internal lining, were launched in 2021.
Each Trutex blazer now saves around 46 plastic bottles from ending up in a landfill site while a pair of boy’s trousers or a skirt saves 19 bottles. A whole uniform, as pictured above, saves 65 plastic bottles from landfill.
To make a yarn suitable for use in high-quality products, the plastic bottles are put together in a bale which is then broken down into flake. The flake then goes through a de-polymerisation and re-polymerisation process to make recycled chips which are melted and extruded to make yarn.
Matthew Easter, CEO of Trutex, said: “We are proud to have reached the significant milestone of saving over 18 million plastic bottles from landfill.
“This further demonstrates our commitment in sustainability having had carbon-neutral status since 2012 and also launching our own uniform recycling project.
“We look forward to saving even more bottles next year and help to provide quality uniform for parents that can be handed down to siblings or sold through pre-loved provisions.”
Trutex, established in 1865, supplies thousands of schools across the UK with uniforms through its network of independent retailers and online.
