Atlantis Headwear Sustainability Series 2024

169 Even if recycled options allow a reduction of emissions compared to the virgin options, we know that it’s not the definitive solution to pollution from synthetic fibers: rPET’s mechanical recycling process significantly reduces the material’s quality and unfortunately very few clothes are recycled back into textile use and the majority of wasted polyester garments are still in the landfills. Moreover, rPET is not biodegradable and loses microplastic fibers as much as virgin plastic. 1 Sustainable Apparel Materials 2015 (https://matteroftrust.org/wp- content/uploads/2015/10/SustainableApparelMaterials.pdf) 2 (Environmental Sciences Europe (2021) Analysis of the polyester clothing value chain to identify key intervention points for sustainability) 3 The Guardian