Recycled Materials

Small scraps of material are often left over after a T-shirt or tote bag is created. These scraps are collected and sorted by colour before a mechanical process pulls the fabric scraps apart into smaller pieces and then again into individual fibres. The new fibre can be shorter and weaker due to the processing involved so is often re-spun and blended with conventional cotton or polyesters to give it more strength. Recycled cotton can be re-dyed but is often preferred in its more 'natural' softer colour palette.

The magnets used in promotional products are made from ferrite, an iron oxide-based material whose properties enable it to be recycled repeatedly. Scrap and left-over material from industrial production is crushed into powder, mixed with virgin alloys and re-extruded into the various sizes and shapes new customers need. Our suppliers typically buy large thin sheets that are then cut into the various shapes popular for promotional use.

Paper and cardboard corrugate (for example cardboard boxes) are some of the most commonly recycled materials. After being sorted at a material recovery facility, bales of paper and boxes find their way back to the paper mills where they are re-processed and converted into new product often mixed with virgin paper pulp.

Plastic can typically be recycled by cutting and grinding unwanted products and scrap down to small pellets which can then be re-molded into new products. The most commonly available recycled plastics are #1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or #2 high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as these are the resins found in the water bottles and yogurt cups we, as consumers, commonly recycle. Other resins are available and can also be found blended together to create unique materials such as the case with Tritan™ Renew. When plastics are recycled you will often find an 'R' in front of the resin acronym such as RPET meaning that the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been recycled.

Recycled polyester is a fabric made from recycled #1 polyethylene terephthalate plastic (PET). This includes those thin plastic water bottles we've all become accustomed to recycling, but also includes sources from industrial uses. Recycled polyester (also called RPET) is obtained by chopping and melting down those bottles and re-spinning it into new yarns thus reducing the need on virgin petroleum based polyester fabric.

Stainless steel is a durable metal known for its resistance to rust and corrosion. Steel and other iron alloys are commonly recycled materials as they maintain their high quality and value throughout the recycling process. At material recovery facilities, magnets will typically be used to separate different metals from each other. Once sorted, the metal is shredded, melted and mixed with virgin alloys before being formed into new sheets and rolls. Those rolls are then formed to create the barrel of a new pen or a water bottle. Utilizing recycled steel helps reduce the impacts on the environment from mining and processing virgin materials.

Repreve® is a brand of recycled polyester by Unifi, a leading global-textiles company. They source bottles and similar plastics from across the globe in partnership with material recovery facilities and local communities. Next, they chop, wash, and melt the plastic waste at their processing centres. That chip is heated again, extruded, and spun into a variety of yarns that then ship to fabric mills and factories across the world who work to turn it into our next promotional t-shirt and bags.

Repreve® Our Ocean™

Repreve® Our Ocean™ is a premium collection of recycled polyester by Unifi. It is made from recovered plastics found within 50km of waterways and coastal areas where they were at risk from entering the ocean

Tritan™ Renew is a brand of recycled plastics manufactured by the Eastman Company. Similar in properties to Tritan plastic, it's made by transforming single-use plastic waste into durable, food-safe, BPA-free materials. In a Tritan Renew product you can expect 50% certified recycled content. Eastman utilizes a mass balance approach, which is audited by a third-party certification body.