Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust ... · Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass |...

Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust Design and Dev Pg. 1


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


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.


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.


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.


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.


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


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


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.


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).


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.


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


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.


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.


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/

wear_ecospun.htm>.

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/

clothing-accessories/eco-fi/>.

"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>.


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>.

Patagonia. N.p., 2010. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/footprint/

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>.

Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass | DES-150: Intro to Sust ... · Bottles to Jerseys | Becky Glass |...

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