

Feedstock
Every minute over 1 million PET bottles are purchased globally. With over 80% of plastic being either incinerated or disposed of in landfill or the environment, there are a huge number of plastic bottles which are entering landfill and our seas.
To help tackle this issue Cole Fabrics have been producing recycled polyester ribbon made from waste water bottles for over 10 years. We control the entire process, from bottle collection to the weaving of the ribbon, providing a transparent supply chain.

Manufacturing Process
The bottles are collected and deposited at collection points around China, providing an opportunity for people who would otherwise struggle to find employment to earn money. At the collection points the bottles are sorted by colour, crushed into bales and then transported to the recycling factory. Once the bottles have arrived at the processing centre the bottles are washed, shredded and then washed again to remove labelling and other contaminants. The crushed bottle flake is then melted down and extruded into polyester yarn.
This ribbon can be used in place of virgin polyester ribbon with the same performance. This allows you to offer a product to your customer which is of a similar quality, whilst also tackling one of the largest environmental issues of our time. This process holds GRS certification which ensures the product has been produced from post-consumer waste. If you would like to find out more about the production process, then please find our animation above.
INSPIRATION
Great for:
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Wash care label ribbon
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Packaging Ribbon
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Bows
For more inspiration, please see our Pinterest.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
End of Life
This ribbon was made from mechanically recycled polyester but can be chemically recycled at end of life, therefore joining the circular economy. The UK waste management system does not currently operate household textile collections but great work is currently being done, by such companies as Worn Again technologies, to scale up this technology in the UK.
CERTIFICATIONS