RESPECT LIFE and PLANET

Moving into our second operational year, sustainability continues to be at the forefront of our brand initiative and we continue to evaluate our supply chain footprint.

The use of recycled materials such as recycled cotton is another topic of interest within our sustainability approach. The use of recycled raw materials aligns with the larger movements of global industries toward a circular economy (vs. linear) and working to achieve a closed-loop production cycle.

Recycled cotton content, also referred to as regenerated or reclaimed cotton, includes recycled raw material, as well as used, reconditioned, and re-manufactured components. The largest volume of recycled cotton sources is produced through pre-consumer waste, such as cutting scraps.

Post-consumer waste is more difficult to sort through due to various color shades, fabric blends, and it is generally a more labour-intensive process. Just like all other products sold at Usolo, our newly introduced regenerated items are also made in Turkey using recycled fabrics processed in one of the world’s top five facilities in this area.

According to the Council for Textile Recycling, annual textile waste is estimated to equal 25 billion pounds and the process of recycling can divert many products from landfills. Also, the amount of energy, water, and dye use is reduced from using a product that has already been processed.

There can be many benefits to using recycled cotton, as well as some challenges. For Instance, cotton must be blended with other fibers to be made into new yarn for strength and durability, and therefore cannot continuously be recycled. Another consideration is that Recycled yarn cost is generally higher than standard, virgin cotton yarn costs, yet Usolo attempts to absorb this margin by keeping the sale prices as standard.