While many companies make and use fibers produced from drink bottle PET plastic, Ecospun is definitely a U.S. product. It has always concerned us that U.S. waste resources are shipped overseas and returned here to be sold to us by foreign manufacturers. My neighbors need jobs, so lets find a way to bring waste-resource manufacturing home. Kansas is the middle of the country and the middle of the continent. We should be the UP-cycling center of the world! UP-cycling being making a higher use product from previously used materials.

What is Eco-spun?

New technology can help the environment by reducing and reusing consumer waste. The U.S. company Wellman Inc. has developed a process to use PET (recyclable plastic bottles) as a valuable textile resource. By procuring and processing PET containers and producer wastes into usable flake and the first recycling chain was established for PET packaging into polyester fibers.

Eco-spun reduces the burden on the world's landfills and natural resources and provides a viable end-use for recycled postconsumer PET containers. The plastic is picked up at the curb or at community recycling centres, sorted by type and colour, then cleaned and chopped into flake. The tiny pieces are then liquefied and extruded

Lifecycle of Ecospun:

Plastic PET containers are picked up at curbside and community recycling centers, and then sorted by type and color. They are stripped of their labels and caps, washed, and crushed, then chopped into flake. These tiny pieces are melted and extruded from showerhead-like spinnerets, creating fine fibres. The fiber produced is crimped, cut, drawn and stretched into desired length for strength, then baled. The baled fiber can be knit or woven into fabric for a variety of textile product end uses.

Fleece fabrics: