That bottle you recycled yesterday could be part of your outdoor kit tomorrow. In fact, if you already own one of BUFF® Original EcoStretch Multifunctional Neckwear pieces, you have already worn the equivalent of 2 plastic bottles around your neck. We make each one of our Original EcoStretch tubulars from 95% recycled fabric as part of our ongoing mission to create a circular economy and to be innovative about not just how our products function, but how they are made, and what they are made of.
“Around the world, one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute.”
We’ve all been there, plastic bottle in hand as we gulp down a much-needed shot of water or an isotonic drink, whether on a hike or during a race or as we go about our busy city lives. Most of us have long ago switched to sustainable alternatives and carry our own bottles or flasks for refilling, but the fact remains that plastic bottles still dominate as the main carriers of our individual water intake. We may not be able to entirely turn the tide of plastic but at BUFF® with 23 million plastic bottles recycled for use so far in our products, we hope to at least cause a significant ripple.
You might be wearing one of our products right now and wonder how is it possible that this super comfortable bit of fabric began life as a plastic bottle?
Thanks to the clever people at Repreve® it’s now as easy to wear a plastic water bottle as to drink out of one. They source plastic bottles from across the globe in partnership with communities and Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) which they wash, chop into flakes then break down into Repreve® plastic chips, melt and turn those chips into recycled fiber and then use those fibers to create the soft, recycled polyester we use on our most iconic products.
And it’s not just recycling billions of plastic bottles that would otherwise end up in landfill or the oceans, they also utilise pre-consumer waste and use U TRUST® verification, with traceable FiberPrint® technology to ensure that their processes are trustworthy and transparent. Compared to virgin fiber, Repreve® helps to offset the use of petroleum, emitting fewer greenhouse gases and conserving water and energy in the process.
Sourcing Repreve® is not just smarter for the planet but also an advantage for everyone who relies on our gear to work for them and with them when we are outdoors. Using the technology also embeds properties like wicking, adaptive warming and cooling, water repellency, and more at the fiber level, adding results to the goals of recycle, reuse, and repurpose.
There are, of course, always more inroads to be made in the fabric manufacturing and recycling world, and at BUFF® we are deeply committed to a path of innovation. We are constantly looking for better methods and sources. The innovation team at Repreve® already offers textile takeback yarn and some small scale solutions available and is looking for a way to develop scalable solutions as well as exploring biodegradable options. Every single day, progress is being made and every single one of us has a contribution to make as we work our way to a circular economy and a more sustainable way of living for all.