| Most people wouldn't be caught dead wearing a | | | | cost effective, and usually they are. It makes a |
| shower curtain in public. Few would cover | | | | lot of sense, and a lot of companies are trying to |
| themselves in spent coffee grounds, or wrap their | | | | move in that direction." |
| bodies in old fishing nets — at least knowingly. | | | | Unruh cited Patagonia, Capri Sun and Coca-Cola, |
| But there's a growing trend among clothing | | | | the latter of which has long recycled its soda pop |
| manufacturers who are turning all kinds of trash | | | | empties into its own branded clothing line. |
| into fashion these days. | | | | H&M, Sears' suit maker EcoGir and the |
| Dated audiotapes. Old signs and office chairs. | | | | handbags line Matt & Nat also use recycled |
| They're all being recycled into clothes that are sold | | | | plastic bottle textiles in their designs. According to |
| by well-known retailers. | | | | Unruh, recycling waste uses less energy and |
| "Our evolution toward using trash as our supply | | | | creates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than |
| chain came through our desire to reduce the | | | | sourcing virgin materials. |
| impact our clothing has on the planet," said Jen | | | | "There's new technology to make apparel out of |
| Rapp, director of communications and public | | | | recycled products other than plastic bottles," said |
| relations for Patagonia, the Ventura-based | | | | Harris Liu, president of Southern California apparel |
| manufacturer that is largely credited with birthing, | | | | broker Caerus & Muse. |
| then mainstreaming, the trash-to-fashion trend. | | | | Liu is hoping his Asian textile manufacturer, which |
| In 1993, Patagonia began recycling old plastic | | | | fuses spent coffee grounds with yarns made |
| water and soda bottles, and then combining them | | | | from recycled plastic and spins them into athletic |
| with a small amount of virgin polyester to make | | | | gear that controls odor and blocks UV rays, will |
| polar fleece jackets. More recently it's expanded | | | | expand its contract with Starbucks in Taiwan to |
| the concept with old shower curtains, recycled | | | | coffee and fast food chains in the U.S. |
| garments, cutting-room floor scraps and polyester | | | | Eco-Panda, of Whittier, is turning old fishing nets |
| signs that are broken down to their molecular | | | | into bikinis that are now sold at Delia's. Sanuk, the |
| level, spun into threads, woven into textiles and | | | | Cardiff by the Sea-based maker of casual |
| cut into long underwear, technical gear such as | | | | footwear, including popular closed-toe sandals, has |
| rain jackets and other items that give no hint of | | | | expanded its recycling efforts (using textiles made |
| their junky past. | | | | from recycled water bottles) to incorporate old |
| Recycling plastics into clothes "is nothing new and | | | | tires and yoga mats, both of which are used for |
| it's a good idea," says Gregory Unruh, director of | | | | soles. The old tires are sourced within 100 miles of |
| the Lincoln Center for Ethics in Global Management | | | | where the shoes are made in China. |
| at the Thunderbird School of Global Management | | | | "Instead of ending up in landfills," said Sanuk |
| in Phoenix and author of the book "Earth, Inc." | | | | founder Jeff Kelley, "they end up on the bottoms |
| "The trick is that the material recovery costs are | | | | of people's feet. |