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Ralph Lauren collaborated with First Mile, who in turn, works with entrepreneurs in low-income communities in Taiwan to collect recyclable plastic bottles, which are then processed into a high-quality yarn.
Ahead of April 22 Earth Day celebrations, renowned design house Ralph Lauren has introduced sustainable, eco-friendly shirts to the brand’s famed Polo line.
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The trendsetting “Earth Polo” shirts are made using a fabric that has been processed by a specialized manufacturing program that was developed to convert recycled plastic bottles and then dyed in a zero-water process.
“Plastic waste is a major issue threatening the environment — we want to be part of the solution and utilize an innovative approach to create something valuable,” David Lauren, Ralph Lauren’s chief innovation officer, said in a press release.
One iconic shirt, 12 bottles recycled. #TheEarthPolo.
— Ralph Lauren (@RalphLauren) April 18, 2019
Introducing the first-ever Polo shirt crafted from recycled plastic bottles. Part of our commitment to prevent 170 million bottles from reaching the world’s landfills and oceans by 2025.
Learn more: https://t.co/gebvWhmgIQ pic.twitter.com/M14TLqQsHK
Ralph Lauren collaborated with First Mile, an organization focused on sustainability and positive social impact, to produce the Earth Polo.
First Mile, in turn, works with entrepreneurs in low-income communities in Taiwan to collect recyclable plastic bottles, which are then processed into a high-quality yarn.
The plastic is first flaked, then melted into pellets before extruding it into monofilaments and then spinning and knitting, according to an Esquire report.
The company uses about 12 bottles to make each shirt and aims to lower customer carbon footprint and eliminating millions of plastic bottles.
“Ralph Lauren will commit to removing at least 170 million bottles from landfills and oceans, and will convert the use of all virgin poly-fiber to recycled poly-fiber by 2025,” Lauren explained.
The sustainable Polo shirts are only available in four colors — dark green, navy blue, white and light blue — inspired by “the same four colors you see when looking at our home planet from a distance,” according to the brand’s website.
“When Ralph founded our company more than 50 years ago, he did so with the idea that whatever we create is meant to be worn, loved, and passed on for generations,” Halide Alagoz, executive vice president, chief supply chain, and sustainability officer, added.
“It’s with this spirit of timelessness that we approach sustainability.”
Polo recently appointed a sustainability guru, Halide Alagoz, to establish more initiatives which are scheduled to roll out in June.
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