FORTREL ECOSPUN

There's a lot that's cool about "soda bottle" sweatshirts, according to a whole new generation of consumers. Value. Eco-consciousness. And real quality.

Fortrel EcoSpun, made of 100% recycled plastic bottles, has virtually changed the way environmentally concerned consumers buy. Because it is clearly pro-environment in its inception and its manufacture. Perhaps the most talked about fiber of our times, EcoSpun reduces the burden on the world's landfills and natural resources, and provides a viable end-use for recycled postconsumer PET containers.

Independently certified by Scientific Certification Systems, the U.S. leader in evaluating environmental claims, as the standard by which all other recycled fibers are judged, EcoSpun has led the way to green manufacturing in the textile industry. A position of leadership confirmed in 1993, when the United Nations Environmental Programme awarded Wellman its First Annual Fashion Industry Award for Environmental Excellence, and reaffirmed with the White House award from the President's Council on Sustainable Development in 1996.

Leading mills and manufacturers have also given their endorsement to EcoSpun as the fiber of choice for delivering superior technical improvements to their products. With all the aesthetics and performance of Fortrel, it delivers the strength, shrinkage resistance and color fastness inherent in the fiber, with a remarkable affinity for new processing and finishing techniques. So fabrics made from EcoSpun can be sporty or soft. Sheer or rugged. Sensuous or serious. And the market applications are expanding every day.

LIFECYCLE OF ECOSPUN

Picked up at curbside and community recycling centers, PET containers are sorted by type and color, cleaned, crushed and chopped into flake.

These tiny pieces are then liquified and extruded from shower head-like spinnerets creating fibers for crimping, cutting and baling.

The knit or woven fabric is made into a variety of products for apparel and home.