The difference between conventional polyester and rPET polyester

Have you ever wondered whether and how the textiles of the new Eco bags from DICOTA have changed compared to their predecessors? It is clear that recycled PET bottles are used for the production of the Eco bags. But what effect does this have, for example, on the longevity of the products or the energy consumption for manufacturing?

What is polyester?

Polyester is a man-made fabric, and not a natural fabric like cashmere, silk or cotton. Polyester is an umbrella term for any fabric or textile that has been spun from polyester yarn or fibres. It is produced by mixing ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. This means that polyester is a kind of plastic.

It is one of the most used fabric types for fashion, design and interior decoration. It is popular for its durability, resistance and versatility.

About 49 per cent of the world's clothing is made of polyester, and Greenpeace predicts that this share will almost double by 2030.

What is recycled polyester?

Recycled polyester, also called rPET, is the first step towards a recyclable material use, i.e. a waste product, in this case PET beverage bottles, becomes a recyclable material that can be used to produce new products. This prevents these bottles from pointlessly ending up in a landfill or, in the far worse case, in our environment, where they take around 450 years to biodegrade. You can see what the manufacturing process of recycled polyester looks like in this video:

What are the advantages of recycled polyester?

Recycled polyester is equivalent in quality to newly produced polyester, but its production requires 59 per cent less energy, according to a 2017 study by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment. An estimate has also shown that CO2 emissions are reduced by 32 percent compared to normal polyester. In addition, recycled polyester can help reduce the extraction of oil and natural gas to produce more plastic.

How do the two polyesters differ?

Recycled polyester is equivalent in quality to newly produced polyester. That's why all our Eco bags come with a lifetime guarantee (Germany: 25 years, for legal reasons). The fabrics do not differ from each other in look and feel either. Only the white point of the fabric can distinguish it somewhat from a "normal" polyester, as the recycled base material - PET beverage bottles - often have a green or blue colour.

So with our Eco bags you get a high-quality, durable carrying solution that is sustainable and made from recycled material.

Discover our Eco collections

Mit Eco BASE finden bis zu 12 PET-Flaschen in einer Notebooktasche eine neue, sinnvolle Verwendung. Die Kollektion bietet viel mehr als nur eine Basis: Die für Qualität, Funktionalität und starken Schutz bekannten Produkte überzeugen auch durch attraktive Preise. Mit der Umstellung auf Recycling-PET-Material erhalten Sie eine umweltfreundliche Kollektion mit vielen verschiedenen Stilen und Größen zur Auswahl.

Die Eco SCALE-Kollektion wurde entwickelt, um auch die anspruchsvollsten Budgets ohne jegliche Kompromisse in Sachen Qualität, Funktionalität oder Design zu erfüllen. Gelebte Nachhaltigkeit mit gutem Gewissen - hergestellt aus wiederverwertetem PET, entlasten die Produkte der SCALE Kollektion die Umwelt

Die Eco SELECT-Kollektion ist das Ergebnis von mehr als 25 Jahren Erfahrung in der Entwicklung hochwertiger B2B-Tragelösungen. Die Eco-Kollektion basiert auf langlebigen, recycelten Materialien und ist auf professionelle User ausgerichtet, die funktionale Details schätzen.