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Globally about 450 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year — most of it single-use — of which 9.5 million tons are thrown into the ocean annually. Both these numbers are on the rise. It has been reported that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans by weight than fish. With sustainability and eco-consciousness a prevalent factor in consumer purchases, many popular sport brands are taking the initiative to reverse those numbers by recycling that plastic waste into new eco-innovative materials and products. A collection of few our favorites are below…
CLOCKWISE TOP LEFT: CONVERSE RENEW CHUCK TAYLOR ALL STARS $85. From the new Converse Renew collection, these classic Chuck Taylor All Stars are made of 100% recycled polyester from used plastic bottles – and customizable too! Touch em’, wear ’em – Converse swears you’ll never know the difference.
MARINE LAYER RE-SPUN TEE $65. Absurdly soft, all the new tees in the Marine Layer Re-Spun collection are made from donated old tees — reborn by reweaving the fibers with recycled plastic bottles into their own recycled yarn. This retro-inspired ringer boasts the message in flocked collegiate-style lettering.
RUMPL NANOLOFT PUFFY BLANKET $149. With a shift to post-consumer recycled materials in its product line, Rumpl’s newest blanket – the NanoLoft, as well as a completely redesigned OG Puffy – is made from 60 recycled plastic bottles that have been re-spun into high-quality polyester thread. By the end of this year, Rumpl will have saved 3 million plastic bottles from being dumped into landfills.
SUNSKI MATTINAS $68. Sunski SuperLight Recycled Plastic frames are made from a polycarbonate resin sourced from scrap plastic that would otherwise end up in a landfill. No single-use plastic is used in the packaging, and in addition, 1% of sales are donated to environmental non-profits — that’s over $150,000 to date. All sunglasses come with a lifetime warranty to prevent them from becoming landfill if they break. But besides all that good eco-stuff, Sunskis come in a wide variety of hot styles, with something for everyone, and all are reasonably priced.
THE NORTH FACE RECYCLED COLLECTION HOODIE $70. Recycled, bottle sourced, and refurbished — The North Face has launched a series of collections and initiatives to reuse plastic and used apparel. The Recycled Collection features pieces constructed from 100% recycled cotton and polyester, such as the hoodie above. The National Geographic Bottle Sourced Collection has been crafted from 348,000 pounds of plastic bottles found in the waste streams of our National Parks — including Yosemite, Great Smoky Mountains, and Grand Teton National Park — recycled into tees and hoodies. The North Face Renewed is a collection of refurbished clothing remade in an effort to reduce the 85% of textiles that usually ends up in landfills each year.
JULIEN SCHNABEL X PARLEY OCEAN BAG $50. Parley for the Oceans is a global network of creators, thinkers, and leaders of corporations, governments, and environmental groups that have come together to raise awareness of the major threat of pollution to our oceans from the proliferation of unrecycled plastic floating in the sea. This limited-edition tote bag featuring the artwork of Julian Schnabel is one of three created by the artist as part of the Artist Series of Special Edition Ocean Bags. Each bag is made from 5 plastic bottles. It folds into a handy pocket-sized pouch with the purpose of replacing single-use plastic bags.
ALTERNATIVE APPAREL ECO-FLEECE SWEATPANTS $58. From the Alternative Apparel Alternative-Eco collection comes these Eco-Fleece camo joggers. Alternative Apparel is committed to sustainable materials and processes, including organic & recycled materials, low-impact dyes and water-conserving washes — using approximately 60,000 lbs. of organic cotton annually in place of conventional cotton, and approximately 1.8 million plastic bottles that are recycled annually used in their Alternative Eco® fabrics. Eco-friendly packaging insures that 2,100 trees, 400 cubic yards of landfill, 860,000 gallons of water, and 120 tons of CO2 are also conserved annually.
