A brand-new range of high visibility protective safety clothing, with 50% of the material made from recycled plastic bottles, has been introduced by workwear manufacturer Engel Workwear.
Called ‘Safety Light’, each item of clothing can be verified to consist of polyester fibres, ultimately spun from a specific number of plastic bottles to make up 50% of its content. This is combined with 40% cotton and 10% standard polyester (245 g/m2) to produce a cool-to-wear, durable fabric.
The Danish firm has worked closely with Unifi, one of the world’s most advanced recycling centres, which transforms the recycled bottles into a polyester yarn called Repreve.
Commenting on the initiative, the CEO of Engel Workwear, John Engel said: “We are delighted to be able to make a positive contribution in helping to reduce the impact of the single-use global plastic waste crisis by putting many thousands of otherwise discarded bottles to further practical purpose. By doing so, we are able to not only do our bit to help improve the environment, but also be the first to use this versatile fabric to produce a unique range of lightweight, hardwearing and comfortable high-visibility clothing which will help keep our customers safe”
The smart, mix-and-match range includes boiler suits (containing 37 plastic bottles), work-jackets (20 bottles), trousers (19 bottles) with Cordure kneepad pockets and elasticated waistband, bib-overalls (23 bottles) and shorts (14 bottles). All have many practical pockets and comfort-design features. There is also a specific selection especially for women called ‘Ladies Light’, all with the same benefits.
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