Splash Blog

Would you believe us if we told you that your favorite t-shirt from Splash was once discarded plastic bottles? Today, 90% of our collections are responsibly made and we owe it largely to the innovative and conscious material choices we make. A shining example of our efforts is the basic tee that you wear from Splash. With most of our Polyester t-shirts made from recycled polyester, the question often comes up about the environmental benefits of using this raw material and how it was made possible.

PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, the same kind used for water bottles, are being given a second life as soft, durable fabrics through our recycled polyester. The result? Comfortable, eco-friendly T-shirts you can wear with pride, knowing that you played a pivotal part in moving towards a more sustainable future.

Now, let’s dive deeper into how this transformation happens and why it’s such an important step in reducing plastic waste.

Step 1: Collecting and Sorting the Plastic Bottles

The process begins with collecting used PET bottles, often sourced from recycling centres or directly from post-consumer waste streams. This stage is critical because it ensures that the material has been responsibly disposed of and can be reprocessed rather than ending up in landfills or oceans.

Once collected, the bottles are sorted to remove impurities and cleaned to ensure no contaminants remain, setting the foundation for quality fabric.

Step 2: Processing

After sorting and cleaning, the bottles are ready for the next stage: shredding. The bottles are broken down into small pieces, called PET flakes. These flakes are the raw materials that will eventually become the fibres used in your T-shirt. Think of this as the foundation of the process—the plastic is still plastic, but it’s about to take a whole new form. After this stage, the real alchemy begins. The PET flakes are heated until they melt into a liquid state and fed through tiny nozzles to form long, thin strands of fibre—almost like plastic spaghetti! These strands are then stretched to increase their strength and spun together to create polyester fibres. This step reduces plastic waste and reduces the reliance on virgin polyester, making it a more sustainable option.

Step 3: Fabric Creation

The polyester fibres are spun into high-strength yarn, which is then woven or knitted into fabric. This fabric is just as soft and breathable as traditional polyester but with a much smaller environmental footprint.

Step 4: From Fabric to Fashion

Once the fabric is ready, it’s cut and sewn into the T-shirts you can get from our stores. These recycled PET T-shirts are just as comfortable and stylish as those made from traditional polyester but with the added bonus of reducing plastic waste.

Wear them with pride

By offering T-shirts made from recycled PET bottles, Splash is contributing to a larger movement toward sustainability in fashion. You don’t have to sacrifice style or comfort to make a difference—you can do both. Each recycled polyester t-shirt is a reminder that great fashion can come from unexpected places, and that small choices can have a big impact.

So, next time you slip into one of these responsibly sourced tees, take a moment to appreciate its journey. What was once a discarded plastic bottle is now part of your wardrobe, helping to create a cleaner, more sustainable world—one t-shirt at a time and we thank you for your choice.