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Recycled polyester (bottle-to-fibre)
What it is
Post-consumer PET bottles collected, cleaned, flaked and re-polymerised into polyester fibre. It substitutes virgin polyester at similar performance for most textile applications
Global brands increasingly specify recycled content in their supply chains
Impact on industries
- Brand sustainability commitments create specification-driven demand that does not compete purely on price
- Feedstock is a waste stream, so it partially decouples fibre cost from crude and from virgin PTA and MEG
- EPR obligations on plastic packaging formalise bottle collection, improving feedstock availability and quality
- Collection remains fragmented and quality variable, and food-grade recycling competes for the same bottles at higher value
- Recycled content claims require traceability and certification, so the premium accrues only to producers who can evidence the chain