Eco friendly wholesale gifts, home decor, and soft furnishings from a UK Fair Trade importer of unique, handcrafted products. Stockists of over 3,000 carefully selected sustainable goods for the environmentally conscious.
Namaste Fair Trade supports products created with the least possible
environmental impact. All goods are sourced from eco friendly,
naturally sustainable and recycled materials wherever possible.
It doesn’t stop there!
Through close working relationships with our selected suppliers, we
identify required improvements and work together to make them happen.
We
scrutinise our own activities too, with the aim of minimising our use
of resources, identifying and implementing ways of reducing consumption
and re-using everything we can.
Even
some of our "new” collections are old! Popular recycled ranges include
those made from cotton, aluminium, sari fabric and rPET yarn from recycled
plastic bottles.
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Remember - there's 15% OFF your first wholesale order and thereafter benefit from a generous discount structure.
Our Views on Recycled Polyester (rPET) & Products made from Discarded Plastic Bottles
The production of this yarn is an extraordinary evolution in recycling. Plastic bottles are broken down into a fine fibre suitable for producing a strong yarn, known as PET Yarn. From this, a textile is produced which is highly versatile and suitable for making into a variety of useful new products.
Yarn made from discarded plastic bottles has gained popularity in recent years for producing rugs and throws with unique qualities. However, legitimate controversies and concerns are associated with this practice, particularly shedding harmful particles when such an item requires washing. And the impact of using the yarn as opposed to leaving the bottles.
Shedding Harmful Particles
Studies show that washing soft furnishings such as rugs and throws made from rPET may lead to the shedding of microplastics. As the name suggests, these tiny plastic particles, often invisible to the naked eye, can enter the environment through water courses, harming ecosystems, wildlife and marine life.
Positive Qualities of rPET
- Stain resistance.
- UV resistance.
- Dust mite resistance.
- Durability.
- Rug quality indistinguishable from a wool kilim.
- Quick drying.
- Material made from recycled plastic bottles is stain resistant, and this crucial characteristic reduces the need for frequent washing, thus minimising the hazard of shedding.
- Suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
Environmental Benefits
Plastic pollution is a huge environmental issue. Recycling waste into purposeful new products can contribute positively to reducing the problem. Global Plastic Watch estimates that approximately 8-10 million metric tonnes of plastic waste enter the oceans annually. This figure includes various types of plastic, including bottles.
The number of bottles required to make a standard size throw can vary depending on the size of bottles used, the thickness of the yarn and the production method. However, as a rough comparative estimate, it takes around 20 to 30 plastic bottles (500ml) to make a throw. Given the scale of pollution, never has a drop in the ocean seemed so appealing.
Preventative Measures
Efforts are ongoing to improve the prevention of microplastics entering the water system during washing. Specialised equipment such as washing machine filters and fine mesh bags can trap contamination and minimise the possibility of release. With the increasing awareness surrounding this issue, such tools will likely become more widely available and normalised. We advocate methods of reducing possible environmental damage by using our rPET products.
In summary, using rPET is not a perfect solution. However, diverting plastic bottle waste from landfills and oceans does have significant environmental benefits. Plus, improvements in minimising the escape of microplastics are continuing and becoming more widely known.
We hope this clarifies our position. We acknowledge rPET is far from ideal. However we try to make informed, considered choices and believe it is up to all of us as individuals to prioritise our contributory roles to this global problem and the solution the best we can.
See our Plastic Bottles Collection
