Observatoire des droits humains (anglais seulement)

Your ‘recycled polyester’ leggings are not as sustainable as you think

(Version anglaise seulement)

par Caroline Swee Lin Tan, Associate Professor in Fashion Entrepreneurship, RMIT University
Saniyat Islam, Associate Professor, Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University

Recycled polyester activewear and swimwear are now everywhere. Major global brands sell leggings, swimsuits and puffer jackets with labels that claim they’re “made from recycled plastic bottles”. Millions of people buy these products believing they’re making a more sustainable choice.

The logic seems straightforward. Turning existing plastic waste into clothing is better than landfill.

However, the story is more complicated. What looks like circular recycling is often a one-way trip to landfill, revealing how recycled fabrics can mask environmental problems rather than solve…

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