'Made with recycled plastic bottles' is the most-used environmental claim in the activewear industry. Most of those claims are technically true — but the lifecycle math is often worse than what they're replacing. Here's the actual carbon-and-microplastic accounting.
Mechanically recycled vs chemically recycled
Recycled polyester (rPET) splits into two manufacturing categories: mechanically recycled (PET bottles are washed, ground, melted, and re-extruded into fiber — accounts for ~95% of rPET on the market) and chemically recycled (the polymer is broken down into its monomers and re-polymerized — produces virgin-quality fiber but uses 30–40% more energy per ton).
Mechanically recycled rPET is what most performance brands use. It carries a 30–60% lower cradle-to-gate carbon footprint than virgin polyester. But the fiber is shorter (each mechanical cycle shortens the polymer chain), which means it pills faster and degrades into microplastics more quickly than virgin polyester does.
The microplastic balance sheet
Synthetic-fiber garments (whether virgin or recycled polyester) shed microfibers during washing — typically 700,000 to 1.2M fibers per garment per wash cycle, per Plymouth University 2016 study. Recycled polyester sheds more than virgin: estimates range from 10–30% more microfiber per cycle because the shorter polymer chains break down faster.
What this means for the lifecycle math: rPET has a lower carbon footprint at the manufacturing end but a higher microplastic footprint at the use end. Whether the trade is favorable depends on how you weight ocean microplastic vs atmospheric carbon. Most lifecycle-assessment studies (e.g., Roos et al. 2019, Journal of Cleaner Production) find rPET still net-better, but only by ~15–25%, not the 50% brands typically claim.
What 'recycled' on the label actually means
The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certifies recycled-content claims. A garment labeled '100% recycled polyester (GRS certified)' has been audited end-to-end. A garment labeled 'made with recycled bottles' could mean as little as 5% recycled content blended with virgin polyester. The percentage matters; the certification matters more.
Varlo's SOHO line uses GRS-certified recycled polyester at 84% content (the remaining 16% is spandex, which can't currently be recycled at scale anywhere). The brand publishes the certification on the product page; many competitors with similar visual marketing don't.
The microplastic mitigation tools
Three things actually reduce microfiber shedding from synthetic garments: (1) wash less frequently (every 3–5 wears for outerwear, every 2 for layers, every wear for next-to-skin items only), (2) use a Cora Ball or a Guppyfriend wash bag — both cut fiber-release into wastewater by 30–50%, and (3) wash in cold water on the gentlest cycle (hot agitation accelerates fiber breakdown).
End-of-life is the harder problem. Most synthetic apparel ends up in landfill or incineration. A growing handful of brands offer take-back programs that mechanically recycle returned garments back into new fiber — Patagonia's Worn Wear program is the longest-running. Varlo doesn't currently run a take-back program.
Sources & citations
- Napper, I. E., Thompson, R. C. (2016). "Release of synthetic microplastic plastic fibers from domestic washing machines." Marine Pollution Bulletin, 112(1-2), 39-45. Plymouth University.
- Roos, S., Sandin, G., Zamani, B., et al. (2019). "Will clothing be sustainable? Clarifying sustainable fashion." Journal of Cleaner Production.
- Textile Exchange. "Global Recycled Standard 4.0." textileexchange.org
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017). "A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion's future."
- Plastic Soup Foundation. "The Microfiber Problem." plasticsoupfoundation.org
Discover more from Varlo or browse the full Varlo collection.
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