This is the main message in our new feature, The patchy sustainability of recycled polyester, in which technical editor Sophie Bramel argues that some companies might be placing too much emphasis on their use of recycled polyester when presenting their sustainability strategies.

Although polyester is a blended fibre in denim, rather than the major player – for instance, in sportswear - the wider implications for fashion and the environment are clear. 

For those companies that do use it, a switch away from new synthetic fibres deriving from fossil fuels is a good thing, but recycling polyester barely scratches the surface of what can and must be done to reduce the fashion industry’s environmental impact.

Photo by Jonathan Chng on Unsplash