Recycled Polyester

Recycled polyester is a sustainable, eco-friendly fiber made from recycled plastic materials, mostly post-consumer plastic bottles, and sometimes recycled polyester garments or other Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) products. The production process starts with cleaning the plastic, melting it into small pellets, and finally recycling it into new fibers.

Today, recycled polyester is often used as fabric for fashion clothing and activewear, becoming an eco-alternative to polyester fabric. rPET, especially with spandex added, is typically used to create activewear such as leggings, sports bras, performance shorts, loungewear, outerwear, fashion garments, dancewear, and swimwear.

What makes this eco-fabric beneficial for activewear:

• Sustainability: This fiber reduces the demand for new petroleum, a key ingredient in producing virgin polyester. This helps lower the environmental impact of activewear production by reducing plastic waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy use.
• Durability: Recycled polyester retains the same strength and durability as virgin, making it ideal for activewear. This type of clothing must endure repetitive movements, stretching, and intense physical activity without losing shape or tearing easily.
• Moisture-Wicking and Breathability: Like virgin polyester, rPET is breathable and excellent at wicking moisture away from the skin, allowing athletes to dry during workouts.
• Elasticity and Flexibility: rPET can be blended with spandex to add stretch, which is important for comfort and mobility in activewear. This blend ensures that activewear like leggings, sports bras, and performance tops move with the body without restrictions.
• Lightweight and Quick-Drying: This material is lightweight, which adds to its appeal for activewear. Its quick-drying properties make it ideal for people engaging in sports or fitness activities where sweat and heat are common.
• Color Retention: The fabric holds dyes well, allowing for vibrant, long-lasting colors in activewear designs.

Pine Crest Fabrics offers a vast collection of recycled polyester wholesale, including interlock, tricot, mesh, textured fabrics, fleece, and more. You can find print options, solids, and print-based textiles that are perfect for custom printing. Most of our products are certified by GRS, OEKO-Tex, and Repreve®.

Our rPET best-selling textile is the Endurance Collection, certified with Repreve. View the collection below and contact us for more details or order a sample yardage of these wholesale textiles.