Clothing Made From Recycled Goods

The use of recycled materials was once considered a gimmick or a boutique industry by many, but the practice is no longer the domain of high-end manufacturers or small companies with limited marketing and distribution. Instead, according to The New York Times, recycled postconsumer waste is now used in furniture, carpet, cleaners, shampoos and clothing available at larger warehouse stores. Many types of solid waste are recycled and repurposed to create affordable clothing for consumers of all backgrounds around the world.

Fibers and Fabrics

• Plastic bottles can be converted to fiber, for stuffing or woven fabric.

  MSNBC states that many clothing manufacturers create their products using fabric made in part or in whole from recycled polyester, nylon and plastic bottles. Landfills are a common source of discarded plastics and other materials which, when processed and reconditioned, create fabrics useful in types of clothing from fleeces to sports jerseys. Discarded electronics, such as cell phones, keyboards and computer shells, can also be used to make the outer shells of coats, with inner linings made from more common recycled materials. Even organic materials, such as cotton, wool and coconut shells, can be processed and reconditioned to create new fabrics.

Shoes

• A used tire's tread gets new life as a shoe sole.

  By 2011, several manufacturers began offering shoes made in part from recycled materials, and soles made from recycled tire treads were a common feature of these shoes, but the trend began much earlier. As early as 1992, a variety of recycled materials were being used to produce prototype and boutique shoe lines. Recycled milk jugs, polystyrene and tire rubber were used as components in soles. Midsoles were made from reclaimed wetsuit materials and inner soles contained material from recycled file folders and coffee filters, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Secondhand Clothing

• Some thrift store clothing is recovered from landfills, cleaned and resold.

  Donating or purchasing secondhand clothing is also a way to recycle, because clothing itself is a resource that can be reused many times before becoming too worn or damaged. In a 2008 article in USA Today, 70 percent of adults noted that the reclamation of secondhand clothing had become more socially acceptable than it was a decade earlier, and a sense of social responsibility associated with buying used clothing was one reason consumers listed for shopping secondhand. Old clothing can be tailored or modified to fit with modern fashion trends, or used fabrics can be repurposed to create new handmade clothes. For example, there is enough fabric in a set of old curtains to create a new blouse or dress, and an old T-shirt can be cut into thin strips and fashioned into a modern scarf necklace, according to the Ette Studios website.

Clothing the Third World

• Impoverished people throughout the world rely on recovered clothing.

  While much of the recovered polyester, nylon and wool becomes wiping and polishing cloths or is converted into fiber to create new fabric, as the Council for Textile Recycling writes, many whole reusable clothing items are also recovered from landfills. This secondhand clothing is typically sold in third-world nations at very low prices. For instance, recovered secondhand pants may sell in Africa for 34 cents, while a recovered sweater will fetch a price of 12 cents in Pakistan. Through nonprofit and charity organizations dedicated to the recovery and transport of discarded clothing, this clothing becomes available to people living in even the most abject conditions of poverty.