Our (Recycled) Material
Why Recycle Materials?
By developing our own 100% Recycled Material, we have eliminated the use of Earth's finite resources required in growth and harvest of cotton plants.
Each TCGCo T-shirt uses 60% Recycled Pre-Consumer Cotton.
Why Recycled Cotton?
Pre-Consumer Cotton is the cotton waste that is found on the cutting room floors. Textile waste accounts for as much as 20% of the total fabric volumes used by garment manufacturers. By repurposing and recycling this cotton we divert this waste from landfill.
The first step in recycling cotton is sorting the waste by type and colour. Next, the sorted fabrics are mechanically ripped into strips, then unravelled into fibres. The resulting fibres are shorter than new fibres, making it harder to spin them. This is why our recycled cotton is mixed with Recycled Polyester, ensuring the quality and strength of the yarn.
Why Recycled Polyester?
40% Recycled Polyester (RPET) makes up the remaining composition of the t-shirt. Recycled Polyester is spun along with Recycled Cotton to increase the strength and durability of the yarn.
By using recycled polyester, it means that the raw material comes from single-use objects like Plastic Water Bottles (4.5 bottles per t-shirt). This reduces the amount of plastic ending up in landfills and the oceans.
More importantly, it means that no virgin oil has been used to create the fibre.