Brushed Sweater Knit
WHAT WE LOVE
The Tencel Modal in this fabric is biodegradable compostable and can fully revert to nature and The Recycled Polyester is giving a second life to harmful plastic.
WHAT WE DON'T LOVE
The downside of Recycled Polyester is that it isn't biodegradable. However, it’s necessary to add to the fiber in order to give the garment its ultra-soft texture and a longer lifetime in your closet.
Our ultra-chic, ultra-soft, brushed sweater rib blended fabric is made up of 48% Recycled Polyester, 48% Lenzing Modal, and 4% Spandex.
The Recycled Polyester is created by breaking down used plastic (from recycled plastic bottles) into small, thin chips, which are processed and eventually turned into yarn. Not only does this process give a second life to a material that’s not biodegradable and would otherwise end up in landfill (or the ocean), but it also takes less energy to produce. Recycling these single-use plastics dramatically decreases greenhouse gas emissions compared to producing virgin polyester. Both petroleum and water usage are also significantly decreased during the production of Recycled Polyester.
Tencel Modal fibers are extracted from naturally grown beech wood by an environmentally responsible and integrated pulp-to-fiber process, which is self-sufficient in energy and recovers co-products from component parts of the wood. In fact, Tencel Modal’s eco-responsible production process earned the EU Ecolabel for environmental excellence.
The flexible Tencel Modal fiber is renowned for its exceptional softness and durability. The best part is, because it’s composed of natural material, all these fibers are biodegradable and compostable, and they can fully revert to nature.
Elastane, on the other hand, is a synthetic fiber known for its give/spring, (it’s what gives these garments the memory to hold their shape). The base material used to make Elastane is polyurethane. Plastic. The truth is that overall, Elastane has a negative impact on the environment. We know we can be even more sustainable by replacing our current elastane to a recycled elastane. This is currently not an option that is available for us, but we are hoping that one day soon, it will be.
LANDFILL LIFETIME: If a Brushed Sweater Knit item ends up in a landfill the Tencel Modal portion would take approximately 4 - 8 months to biodegrade depending on soil conditions. However, the Elastane and Recycled Polyester portion will remain anywhere from 20-200 years.
CARE: Machine washable. The best way to keep this fabric in shape is to wash it inside out. To prevent any slight shrinking, air dry or dry on a low setting. Rather than washing/dry cleaning your sweaters, consider using a non-toxic sweater spray to freshen and deodorize between wears.
Keep in mind all sweaters pill, no matter what. The easiest way to keep them looking fresh is to use a sweater stone or shaver to remove the pills.