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Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 1
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 2
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
OVERVIEW OF PROJECT .......................................................................................... 3
COMPETITION ............................................................................................................ 5
IMPROVEMENTS ........................................................................................................ 6
USER INSIGHTS ......................................................................................................... 7
REGULATIONS & INITIATIVES ................................................................................... 8
STRATEGIES & METHODOLOGIES ........................................................................... 9
INSPIRATION ............................................................................................................ 11
MATERIALS OPTIONS, ENERGY, & ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ............................. 12
SOLUTIONS & METRICS .......................................................................................... 14
SOURCES ................................................................................................................. 15
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 3
51 billion plastic bottles end up in landfills annually
Executive Summary From sports teams to fans, millions of jerseys are produced and worn every
year. Jerseys are used for a short period of time, and then usually thrown
away. In the NBA, basketball players use 8 different jerseys, 4 home and 4
away, each season. Imagine how many jerseys, from youth sports’ teams
to professional athletes, are thrown
away each year. Now that we have
that number in perspective, imagine
how many plastic bottles are disposed
of each year. Two million plastic
bottles are used in the U.S. every ten
minutes; 51 billion plastic
bottles end up in landfills annually. Laying end-to-end, the 51 billion plastic
bottles would wrap around the Earth 5 times (Eco-fi.com)! New technology
allows us to recycle these plastic bottles and convert them to a type of
polyester, almost equivalent to the feel and texture of current polyester
jerseys.
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 4
Overview of Project
Two million plastic bottles are used in the US every ten minutes; this
amounts to 51 billion plastic bottles in landfills each year. This is enough
plastic bottles that, when laid end to end, would wrap around the earth 5
times (Eco-fi.com). The goal of this project is to reuse these plastic bottles
and convert them to sports jerseys. The fabric that can be created by this
process is extremely breathable. Plastic bottles have an extremely short
life. By removing the bottles from the landfill and reusing them, we can
save over 1/2 million barrels of oil and eliminate 400,000 tons of harmful air
emissions which contribute to acid rain, global warming and smog. Sports
jerseys, both worn by athletes or by fans, have a short life as well. Plastic
bottles can be taken from the landfills and converted into new jerseys in
nearby factories. The jerseys can be returned after and recycled again to
form a new jersey.
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 5
Competition
Developed by Wellman Inc., Eco-fi is a high-quality polyester made from recycled
bottles. Many different fabrics are made from these bottles, including fleece fabrics,
vests, jackets, pants, blanket throws and accessories. It is also used in carpets, home
furnishings and fiberfill. Nike has used this technology to create jerseys for the 2010
World Cup. 13 million plastic bottles were recovered from landfills in Japan and
Taiwan and reprocessed into recycled polyester. Each kit will be 100 percent recycled
content; and each jersey is composed of about 8 plastic bottles. The replica jerseys for
fans will also be made of 100 percent recycled material. Nike is currently using this
technology for 8 other teams. Other companies such as Reebok and Adidas use virgin
materials to produce their jerseys. The same product can be created locally using
recycled material; why continue taking from the Earth when the material is already
available? Patagonia is doing similar work for different articles of clothing. The R2®
Jacket uses recycled material and overall the jacket travels 7,780 miles.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5279230
The 2010 World Cup jerseys will be made by Nike from 100 percent recycled content. Each jersey is equivalent to about 8 plastic bottles.
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 6
Improvements
Many improvements can be done to this process to help it become more eco-
friendly. This is a national project; it will all be done in the USA. The bottles will be
taken from local recycling centers and shipped to the processing center. The
processing center can be located near a major recycling center; by reducing the
distance we would save many gallons of oil and save shipping time. Every jersey
in America would be an Eco-jersey. Currently, only 8 teams are using this
process; millions more jerseys can be made by turning our waste into jerseys.
After the jerseys life, the fabric can be sent back and remade into another jersey.
This can happen for a certain amount of times until the fabric is unusable.
Currently, most water brands are
packaged in a plastic derived from
crude oil, polyethylene terephthalate
(PET). Those containers are then
transported on diesel-burning trucks--or
shipped in from exotic destinations like
Fiji, generating greenhouse gases.
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 7
User Insights
Jerseys are produced and sold in
retailers all around America. Coaches
purchase uniforms for the team and
use them for a season or two. Some
professional athletes receive new
jerseys almost every game. They are
worn, and most of the time thrown
away after its short life. Coaches
could recollect the jerseys from the
team, and send them back to the
processing center which would allow
the jerseys to be turned into different
jerseys. This process can happen
multiple times before the threats
eventually become unusable.
Replica jerseys are purchased at many
athletic stores all across America. They
are worn for much longer then sports
teams’ jerseys, but they still do live a
relatively short life. Stores that sell these
jerseys could collect the jerseys the
customers bring in, and send them back
to the processing center to be turned
into another jersey.
http://www.eteamz.com
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 8
United States Environmental Protection Agency:
Air Pollution Control Act- The act declared that air pollution was a danger to public health and welfare, but preserved the "primary responsibilities and rights of the States and local government in controlling air pollution."
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act- The Principal Federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste.
Regulations and Initiatives
Department of Labor Laws:
Workplace Safety & Health- Employers also have a general duty under the OSH Act to provide their employees with work and a workplace free from recognized, serious hazards. OSHA enforces the Act through workplace inspections and investigations.
Federal Trade Commission:
Promotes of "consumer protection" and the elimination and prevention of what regulators perceive to be harmfully "anti-competitive" business practices
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 9
Strategies & Methodologies
What we take:
Plastic bottles made from PET will be taken from local recycling centers and taken to a
local factory that will convert the bottles.
What we make:
Plastic bottles will be turned converted to athletic jerseys. Although plastic bottles are oil
based, we can reuse the jerseys to remake new ones. The Patagonia R2® Jacket
creates 20 lbs of carbon dioxide emissions during the entire process, from fiber origin to
the distribution center. Per garment, 8 oz of waste is generated, from origin of material to
the end of the final sewing process. About the same amount of waste will be generated
per garment, but carbon dioxide emissions will be greatly reduced due to the location of
recycling centers and factories.
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 10
Meeting basic human needs:
Converting plastic bottles to jerseys will help us remove the 51 billion plastic bottles that
end up in landfills each year. According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, “Bottled
water is the single largest growth area among all beverages, that includes alcohol, juices
and soft drinks. Per capita consumption has more than doubled over the last decade,
from 10.5 gallons in 1993 to 22.6 in 2003” (msnbc.com). Also, many more jobs would be
created. Wendy Jedlicka states “recycling creates 1.1 million US jobs, $236 billion in
gross annual sales, and $37 billion in annual payrolls” (261, Jedlicka). Thousands more
jobs will be created to convert the plastic bottles to jerseys.
What we break:
Since the jerseys are made from recycled bottles, not much will need to be
extracted from the Earth. Recycling polyester uses less energy that what’s needed to
produce virgin polyester; various studies all agree that it takes from 33% to 53% less
energy. The Patagonia R2® Jacket uses approximately 135 liters of water from the origin
of the material to the delivery at the distribution center. “Manufacturing with recycled
materials, with very few exceptions, saves energy and water and produces less air and
water pollution than manufacturing with virgin materials” (261, Jedlicka).
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 11
13 million plastic bottles from landfills in Japan and Taiwan were reprocessed into the 2010 World Cup jerseys.
Inspiration
I was online and an article caught my attention. I read it and found out that
the 2010 World Cup was using jerseys made from 100% recycled bottles,
about 8 bottles each jersey. This led me to
thinking the amount of bottles I collect by
myself, and I then got to thinking how many
billions of bottles fill up America’s landfills.
As an athlete, I know how many jerseys get
compiled and thrown away over the years. I
also know that many athletes use store
bought beverages to replenish
themselves. At the end of each game, all
of these bottles go to the trash. I researched the amount of plastic bottles
that fill America’s landfills each year, and was astonished. This inspired me
to make a company that would make every jersey from completely 100%
recycled plastic bottles.
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 12
Materials Options, Energy, & Environmental
Issues
Extraction: Bottles made from PET,
such as soda and water bottles, and
medicine containers will be taken from
local recycling facilities and brought to
a nearby factory that will convert the
bottles. For every one billion plastic
bottles created, 18 tons of harmful air
emissions are produced and 2.5
million barrels of oil are used (sound-
goods.org)Why just use the bottles
once and just waste them?
End of life: Cradle-to-cradle: After the bottles are
turned into jerseys, they can be
recycled again! The jerseys can be
recycled for a certain amount of times
before the fabric becomes too weak.
The jerseys will be turned in by the
previous users and sent to the factory
to be remade into a new jersey.
www.madisonca.com
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 13
Processing:
1. The process begins at a local recycling depot, where the plastic pop bottles are sorted by type and color and baled for pickup.
2. After sterilization, the bottles are crushed and then chopped into flake.
3. These tiny pieces of flake are poured into large vats, where they are melted and stirred. This produces a thick liquid that's extruded through shower-head like devices to create fibrous, polyester strands.
4. The fiber strands are then stretched to about 4 times the length to produce thinness and strength because the molecules align more. The strands are crimped, cut into short pieces and baled for shipping to clothing manufacturers where the thread is knitted and woven into fabric.
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 14
Strategies & Methodologies
Less than 30% of plastic bottles in the U.S. are actually recycled. Currently only
11 U.S. states have bottle deposit (Eco-fi.com). Only 14 percent of single-serving
PET water bottles were recycled nationwide in 2004 (Newsweek.com). The
easiest and most common plastics to recycle are made of polyethylene
terephthalate, PETE (About.com). Knowing that 51 billion plastic bottles can be
removed and converted to a useful product is an inspiration to make eco-jerseys.
The factories will be close to the recycling centers, so many miles will be saved
in transportation. Biomimicry is also an inspiration. The jerseys can be reused
and made into new jerseys for a certain amount of times. The plastic bottles in
the landfills should not only be used once and
thrown away when they can be made into a useful
product. The amount of bottles converted into
jerseys will be a good measure of how successful
this project is. Also, minimizing the waste
generated during the entire process will measure
how successful this project is.
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 15
Sources
Breslau, Karen. "A Good Drink at the Sink." Newsweek 23 June 2007: n. pag. Web. 13
May 2010. <http://www.newsweek.com/id/33459>.
Clothes Made from Scrap. N.p., 2010. Web. 13 May 2010.
http://clothesmadefromscrap.com/pet.htm>.
"Eco-fi." Eartheasy. N.p., 2010. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://www.eartheasy.com/
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Eco-fi." Eco-fi. Tidal Media Group, 2009. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://www.eco-fi.com/>.
"Eco-fi." Eco-fi. N.p., 2009. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://www.ecofriendlydaily.com/
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"Federal Trade Commission." Wikipedia. N.p., 10 May 1010. Web. 13 May 2010.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Trade_Commission#Activities_of_the_FTC>
Granger, Trey. "USA World Cup Jerseys to Be Made from Recycled Plastic."
earth911.com. N.p., 2 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 May 2010.
<http://earth911.com/news/2010/03/02/usa-world-cup-jerseys-to-be-made-from-
recycled-plastic/>.
"How to Recycle Different Types of Plastic." About.com. N.p., 2010. Web. 13 May 2010.
http://environment.about.com/od/earthtalkcolumns/a/recycleplastics.htm>.
Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 16
Llanos, Miguel. "Plastic bottles pile up as mountains of waste." msnbc.com. N.p., 3 Mar.
2005. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5279230>.
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index.jsp?slc=en_US&sct=US>.
"Plastic to Fabric." sound-goods.org. N.p., 2008. Web. 13 May 2010.
<http://www.sound-goods.org/Recycled_Plastic_Bottles>.
"United States Environmental Protection Agency." Wikipedia. N.p., 11 May 2010. Web.
13 May 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency>.
"Why is recycled polyester considered a sustainable textile?" o ecotextiles. N.p., 14 July
2009. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/why-is-
recycled-polyester-considered-a-sustainable-textile/>.
Wiki page. Air Pollution Control Act. N.p., 25 Apr. 2010. Web. 13 May 2010.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Pollution_Control_Act>.