The pros of polyester are mostly material, such as its strength, flexibility, moisture resistance, ease of care, and low cost. The cons of polyester are mostly environmental, such as high energy and water consumption, pollution, and inability to biodegrade.
Check now But there are material cons as well, such as a higher likelihood of pilling, running, and pulling. And since polyester isn't a breathable fabric, but is moisture resistant, this can leave wet spots on people, which can easily irritate people with sensitive skin. From a material standpoint, the pros outweigh the cons in the mind of most manufacturers, brands, and consumers - because polyester is the most widely used fabric in apparel globally. But from an environmental view, polyester is one of the worst textiles created, exacerbated by one of the worst categories for the planet already. That's right, the clothing industry has a massive negative impact on the earth. For instance, 10% of the planet's carbon emissions are caused by the fashion industry. There are some choices you can make to amplify the upsides and minimize the downsides when sourcing polyester fabric or garments that require the material advantages of polyester. But first, let’s cover why polyester rose to be the top choice for clothing manufacturers in the first place, and that starts with how it's made. The original creation of polyester dates back to the 1940s when British chemists discovered they could create a durable plastic polymer through a chemical reaction of petroleum, water, and air. Specifically, polyester fiber is made from polyethylene terephthalate or PET - if that looks familiar, it's most likely because you've seen it on single-use plastic water bottles, as it's the most common material for them. In just a few steps, these molecules can become PET. Here's a grossly simplified overview: The plastic pellets (see the image at the top of this article for what it looks like) are first created through a chemical process requiring high heat and pressure. The plastic is then extruded through fine machinery to create long plastic fibers. These threads are spun together to create polyester yarn/thread, that is either blended or remains intact. The polyester is then most often knitted (it can be woven) into fabric form. The fabric is then cut and sewn to create a polyester-based garment. Polyester is a thermoplastic that can be heated and cooled into various shapes meaning it can be used in a wide variety of settings. While clothing may be the most common use for polyester, the material is also found nearly everywhere; in items like safety belts, home furnishings, and of course, plastic water bottles. The benefits that polyester offers clothing manufacturers are numerous, but most notably it's a very cheap fabric to produce. In addition, it's much easier and faster to knit or weave polyester threads into fabric than natural fibers like cotton. This is because polyester is a man-made fiber as opposed to a plant-based one. The quality of polyester has also increased over the years. The original polyester fabrics were quite stiff, but advances in technology have led to the development of softer, more flexible versions. Polyester can now be made to feel and look like many natural fibers, which has only helped to increase its popularity. All of these reasons - price, quality, and speed - have made polyester the number one choice for clothing manufacturers to use, especially in activewear and the athletic apparel space, since its quality and material advantages are far superior to what the natural options were at its inception. In terms of value, that is quality for cost, polyester is a great material for garments, as it's durable, water resistant, and holds its shape and color. This is likely a major reason polyester makes up over 50% of the total fiber market and over 80% of the synthetic fiber market. There's a lot to like about polyester clothing as it relates to performance attributes: Polyester fabric is durable: It tends to stretch without tearing, is resistant to abrasion and normal wear and tear, and doesn’t easily pill like other natural fibers. Polyester fabric is water resistant: Don’t forget, polyester is a plastic and is therefore hydrophobic. When exposed to water, polyester generally repels the liquid causing droplets to form on the surface rather than absorbing moisture into the clothing. Polyester fabric holds its shape and color: This is good for both clothing manufacturers and consumers. For the seller, textural elements like pleats can be added to clothing easily and polyester also takes on dyes very well. For the buyer, this means vibrant and wrinkle-resistant clothing. While we’re still talking about the positives, it should also be noted that polyester blends very well with other natural or synthetic fiber choices. It’s very common to find T-shirts made out of a cotton and polyester blend or yoga pants created from a combination of spandex and polyester. Polyester can add benefits to other fibers that wouldn’t otherwise be as strong or flexible as an example. But there is one commonly cited reason why polyester clothing is uncomfortable. Polyester clothing is not breathable. Because polyester is a plastic material that keeps moisture out, clothing made out of 100% polyester can feel clammy and damp. For similar reasons, polyester clothing also tends to hold odor and moisture inside rather than wicking away sweat or letting air flow through. Comfort aside, the real dirt on polyester has to do with sustainability - or the lack thereof. Polyester is not eco-friendly, as it's a petroleum-based product, which means it's not sustainable and takes hundreds of years to break down. In addition, the microfibers in polyester clothing often end up in our waterways where they're ingested by fish, other marine life, and humans as well. Unfortunately, polyester is not a sustainable fabric choice, and therefore polyester clothing is not eco-friendly. Meaning the most widely used textile is not environmentally friendly. You can see how this can easily get out of hand, and that's exactly what's happening. The real environmental impact of polyester should be considered from all angles. From the beginning of the process to the end. Because polyester is harmful from sourcing to manufacturing, disposal, and waste - basically every decision at every step of the apparel supply chain. Damage to the earth tragically happens at all points along the way. The first issue polyester can’t get around is that the material is made from petroleum and fossil fuels. Demand for polyester contributes to hundreds of millions of barrels of oil being extracted and refined from the earth. Additionally, clothing brands find it difficult to transparently understand the source of their polyester - the practices or locations of where the oil came from are difficult to know or share with the consumer. The process to create polyester also comes with its own set of problems. While polyester is a relatively cheap material to manufacture, creating it still requires a lot of energy to be used. Additionally, toxic chemicals and heavy metals used in the manufacturing process can find their way into wastewater and ultimately the surrounding environment. Finally, once the polyester makes it onto shelves in the form of fabric or clothing, the environmental impact can still be felt. The problems here are twofold: First, polyester clothing sheds microplastic as it is worn or washed. These microplastics ultimately make it into our water and soil sources and even inside our bodies. The scientific community is still learning about the full extent that microplastics can harm the earth and our bodies. Second, polyester clothing cannot be easily recycled and often ends up in landfills where it will sit for hundreds of years. Because polyester is a man-made plastic of sorts, it will not biodegrade and is not a sustainable resource. The use of cheap and accessible polyester fabric has contributed to environmental waste and bad habits throughout the entire garment industry - from fast-fashion everyday wear to athleisure and activewear. Despite the impact, polyester is easy and profitable for clothing manufacturers to use, encouraging wasteful production and consumption patterns. There is, however, one saving grace for polyester. Technology that preserves the functional benefits of polyester while lessening the environmental impact. That is recycled polyester or rPET. Recycled polyester is different from virgin polyester in terms of raw materials. Whereas virgin polyester requires new petroleum and chemicals to turn oil into plastic that can be weaved into clothing, recycled polyester is created from post-consumer PET water bottles that are transformed into polyester fabric. To create recycled polyester, manufacturers will collect millions of pounds of used PET plastic from sources including single-use water bottles, fishing nets, and other industrial items. The plastic will be washed, melted, and reformed into pellets or chips that can be processed further. At this point, the recycled polyester process will look very similar to the virgin polyester process - the rPET will be spun into long threads to create fabric. Recycled polyester behaves the same as virgin polyester fabric - strength, flexibility, moisture resistance, lightweight, ability to blend, ease of care - all of the performance attributes that brands and consumers love about virgin polyester are identical in recycled polyester. This is all regardless of the form the PET takes post-consumer - be it a water bottle or packaging, your recycled polyester fabric will still have the same amazing performance qualities as virgin polyester. The real benefit, however, is that by choosing recycled polyester clothing you will not be adding to new fossil fuel demand and will be helping save the environment. Massive fashion brands have already replaced their dependency on virgin polyester with recycled polyester. Titans of fashion like Nike, Patagonia, The North Face, Levi's, etc., are all looking to manufacturers to source recycled polyester garments for them. One standout manufacturer is Repreve, in unison with its parent company, which has recycled 34 billion PET water bottles to date - and this number shoots up by 4,300 bottles every minute. Repreve, and more specifically recycled polyester, are in high demand. This is why the fabric has made the Sport Casuals' "5 Trending Eco-Friendly Fabrics in Activewear" list. But there's a long way to go. Even if everyone used recycled polyester in place of polyester tomorrow, it's still not the most sustainable fiber on the market, not by a long shot. But it is a starting point for change. Polyester will continue to be a fabric of choice for clothing makers because the material is inexpensive, easy to customize with colors and patterns, and creates durable and comfortable clothing. Goto Jiatong to know more. While polyester clothing is common, consumers are waking up to the environmental impact it has, and this is affecting their purchase decisions. Setting aside the ethical charm of brands using recycled polyester, this adoption of recycled polyester by brands is most likely driven by consumer intent. And since recycled polyester clothing has the same performance benefits as virgin polyester clothing with less harm to the environment, it's an easy decision even if there are cost implications, as they would be more likely tolerable due to positive environmental reasons.How Do You Navigate The Pros and Cons of Polyester?
The Origin and Process of Creating Polyester
Price, Quality, and Speed Spurred Polyester's Adoption
Is Polyester Still Good For Clothing Today?
Is Polyester Clothing Eco-Friendly?
Con #1: Petroleum Problems
Con #2: Manufacturing Pollution
Con #3: Post-Manufacturing Pollution
a) Microplastic Shedding
b) Landfill Fodder
Polyester is a Tragic Textile for the Planet
How is Recycled Polyester Different From Virgin Polyester?
Is There a Performance Difference in Recycled Polyester?
Ditch Virgin Polyester, Adopt Recycled Polyester
In design, sound matters. The function of a space is not determined by its aesthetics only but also by the sounds it makes.
“Sound may be invisible or only unconsciously perceived, but that doesn’t make it any less an architectural material than wood, glass, concrete, stone or light.” – Michael Kimmelman.
Sound inextricably becomes attached to function. But because design begins first on paper, it isn’t until we inhabit a room that we determine how to relegate noise.
The growing popularity of decorative acoustic felt panel installation proves that balancing the acoustics of a space does not have to clash with its original design elements. Although it’s true one size does not fit all when it comes to acoustic treatment, polyester felt is proving to be the choice material for acoustic felt panels by the design industry.
Polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, is a thermoplastic polymer resin comprised of recycled transparent plastics. PET is frequently referred to as polyester in textile applications but retains its acronym PET regarding packaging, bottling, etc.
Polyester was first patented in the 1940s by Dupont chemists in Delaware, U.S.A, as a new textile fiber. It wasn’t until the 1970s that new technology made it possible to mold PET into bottles. Today, it is the number one recycled plastic worldwide.
PET is highly flexible in its natural state and therefore easily moldable for its end use depending upon how it is processed. Its applications as the number one recycled plastic range from food packaging and bottling to fabrics to thermoforming in manufacturing and automotive insulation.
The textile industry is a significant end-user of PET, making up about 60% of overall PET consumption.
Polyester felt is made of recycled PET plastics, mostly water bottles or other single-use products. The recycled material is compressed and melted down until left with plastic flakes. The plastic bits are then remelted and extruded as fiber. This fiber is then used to produce rolls or sheets of PET textile material, similar in any felting process. It can contain anywhere from 0% to 100% recycled content. Not only is it sustainable, but it is fast becoming the premium choice for sound dampening performance in lieu of other traditional materials, like fiberglass.
Polyester felt’s lightweight durable nature (combined with an additional lower melting point ) create the ideal properties for acoustic felt panel design. Its capability to be easily cut, variety of color options, and limitless forms are making polyester acoustic panels part of the visual landscape in modern interior design.
When we design for sound, we are designing for experience. Before, implementing sound insulation into already existing spaces meant the only solution was to hang unattractive hanging baffles and deal with the eyesore.
Now, polyester felt delivers an appealing design in junction with high-functioning performance rates of acoustic insulation.
There is a symphony of reasons the design industry is choosing polyester felt over any other material; acoustically, environmentally, and aesthetically.
While it is possible, it is challenging to include acoustic design into a space before it has been occupied. In most cases, sound is the last piece an architect will fit into the puzzle. Knowing how a room will be used and where the potential challenges will be for sound issues are essential pieces of the puzzle to negotiate when implementing acoustic solutions. The building layout may not be flexible, but the acoustic solutions can be.
Polyester acoustic felt soaks up ambient noise in a variety of forms. Do you need to mitigate noise in your office conference room? Consider hanging acoustic clouds strategically over spots where noise reflection is at its highest. Are your gym guests experiencing an overload of noise in a large open floor plan? Ceiling baffles would work best here, especially when dealing with higher ceilings.
Using polyester acoustic felt to your best advantage involves finding your key sources of noise and adopting different paneling styles to adapt to the parameters that will help aurally orient your space.
If, as Kimmerman claims, sound is as vital as wood is for building framing, how far can we take acoustic solutions? Structural possibilities with PET are far-reaching. Its flexible form can be bent, molded, and shaped to any design for an assortment of interior applications, including furniture and lighting fixtures. Designers can exercise creative freedom with a host of different color options and texture choices (dependent on manufacturing methods).
Felt itself is a nuanced fabric that works to your elemental design. You can play it safe and subtle, blending your acoustic felt panels into the background or creating statement pieces that accentuate your already developed design theme. Acoustic insulation can be as simple as under-carpeting or as intricate as 3D ceiling baffles.
Ultimately, polyester felt complements a space without compromising it.
It is estimated that Americans alone throw away upwards of 35 billion plastic bottles a year. And subsequently, roughly 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans. But a major culprit of waste is the textile industry adding billions of pounds of waste to our landfills and depleting energy and water resources.
Reworking the end-use for so many single-use plastic products (and the proposed 95% of all textiles that do have the potential to be recycled), PET is the friendliest raw material in textile applications (among other industries) as well as the healthiest.
Polyester needle punch felt is manufactured without the demand for any chemical additives like glue or resin to bond the fibers. Furthermore, polyester felt does not give off VOCs or odors. This makes it safe for indoor use (able to meet building standards and certifications) while requiring fewer energy resources in the manufacturing process.
The amount of recycled content in PET material can vary from 0% to 100%, depending on the providing manufacturer’s specs and the customer’s desire for a “greener” source. It is not only recyclable at the end of its life but possibly reusable dependent on its modularity.
The acoustic properties of a space have a significant impact on its residents. Managing unwanted noise by integrating acoustic solutions promotes your community’s overall wellness and health, whether it be at home or in your commercial office building.
In the acoustic design process, custom is the standard. Finding the best product for your project starts with making the quality choice of polyester felt. At BIT, we manufacture 100% polyester acoustic panels under our Poly-Sonic line. Each panel has a recycled content of at least 60% PET plastic and is made entirely in the US in our facilities.
Poly-Sonic acoustic felt provides fantastic sound quality that is available in any weight, thickness, or color necessary to meet your specialized products’ demands. We also provide rolled goods that can be molded into any form of acoustic panel solutions or used as a wrapping fabric for other soft-touch surfaces, so the design process is entirely yours.
Acoustics should be a part of your building design, whether you choose to stay traditional or seek out artful installations. Contact us today to learn more about our Poly-Sonic line and how you can begin designing your space for both eyes and ears.
GREAT STUFF;;THANKS SAM
Excellent article.
Very Informative
Is this felt suitable for commercial
Applications in buildings,do you any
Flammability test data on polyester felt
Please share.
For more information, please visit polyester fiber felt supplier.