Watch: Dubai company turns plastic bottles into T-shirts

Watch: Dubai company turns plastic bottles into T-shirts

DGrade recycles up to 60 million plastic bottles monthly to produce around 20,000 T-shirts

Published: Sun 4 Jun 2023, 6:00 AM Last updated: Sun 4 Jun 2023, 6:40 AM

Did you know that 20 plastic bottles can be repurposed and turned into one adult T-shirt? A Dubai company is doing that, recycling up to 60 million plastic bottles monthly and producing around 20,000 T-shirts daily.

They are on a mission to recycle over 1 billion plastic bottles this year and spun them into polyester yarns that can be used to make T-shirts, dresses, leggings, and other sustainable clothing options.

Speaking to Khaleej Times a day ahead of World Environment Day that falls on June 5, Emma Barber, managing director of Dubai-based DGrade FZ LLC, said manufacturing clothing items with a sustainable twist means less plastic waste ending up in landfills.

The T-shirt made from recycled bottles is also cheaper by 12 to 15 per cent, as compared to conventional polyester shirt. The manufacturing process is definitely eco-friendly as it does not use oil, which is a finite resource. It saves 50 per cent energy, requires 20 per cent less water, and produces 55 per cent fewer carbon emissions compared to virgin polyester yarn.

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Advocate for sustainability

Barber