The New Norm: Sustainable Fashion Made From Plastic Party Cups

Party Products & Materials Used To Make Fabric

Five hundred billion plastic cups are produced each year, yet only around one percent of them are recycled. That means that 99 percent of the plastic produced for convenient drinking ends up in overflowing landfills and in our oceans, which already have an estimated 15 to 51 trillion pieces of microplastics in them, according to Red Cup Living.

3D Knitting Machines at Tailored Industry

Single-use plastic party cups are so incredibly common in places like college campuses or sporting events that even the most environmentally conscious consumers can’t help but to use them in certain situations. Sure, some of these cups get tossed into the recycling bin, however the United States currently doesn’t have the infrastructure in place properly to dispose of them, resulting in them being discarded. This is where The New Norm hopes to make an impact. Startup founder and CEO Lauren Choi studied materials engineering at Johns Hopkins University and developed an extruder machine that spins recycled plastics into filament yarn, which then can be used to make knitted fabric for clothing, furniture, car upholstery, etcetera. Right now, the machines are able to make yarn out of ocean plastics, which are typically the most difficult materials to recycle, as well as single-use party cups.

Party cups are a number six plastic, which most recycling facilities are not capable of processing, according to the Hefty ReNew Program. When Choi was in college, she noticed how frequently party cups were thrown away without ever being given a second life. That’s what sparked her idea to create her extruder machine, and through trial and error, she developed a thin, textured yarn that could be repurposed as a fabric.

This November, The New Norm launched its first clothing collection with that fabric, which includes the Party Beanie and the Party Sweater in pastel pink, green, blue and white. These knit pieces were dyed naturally by the color of the original party cups, using no water or harmful chemicals to add color to the fabric. Each piece was also 3D knitted in partnership with Tailored Industry in Brooklyn, New York, which eliminates any excess fabric being wasted to make new garments. The yarn produced by the extruder machine is a filament yarn rather than a spun yarn, meaning it is one continuous piece of material and not a long cluster of tiny fabric shreds. Creating this type of yarn prevents additional fabric particles from ending up in our ecosystem. All of this is to say that the creation of the Party Collection is extremely sustainable from start to finish, and is an example of ways the fashion industry can make a positive impact on the planet.

While Choi loves fashion, being a clothing designer is not her goal with The New Norm. She says this initial collection serves as a proof of concept in the fabric’s ability to make quality garments, and in the future she would like to partner with existing apparel brands, “scale the technology and recycle as much plastic as possible,” and incorporate it into the existing supply chain.

Due to the contents of the fabric, plastic and polymer, and current knit structure, the unofficially named Party Fabric would be best used as knitwear or athleticwear. With more experimentation the expectation is to create woven fabrics, which will broaden the fabric’s capabilities. Not only could it be used to make clothing, but Choi is interested in finding atypical ways to use the material such as in furniture, car upholstery, and bedding. As the brand gains more consumer awareness, it will rely on public interest in sustainability to continue to grow. Grants from companies like Hefty will continue to fund the innovation underway in the recycling sector, while stricter international policies on how the United States handles plastic waste will encourage companies to find creative ways to utilize recycled materials. The New Norm is laying the groundwork for the eventual regularity and necessity of circular fashion.

Article by Danielle Tranter, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Designer, PhotoBook Magazine

RELATED STORIES

Sustainable WatchAlison HernonDecember 8, 2023#sustainableliving, #sustainable, #plasticfree, #recycle, #environment friendly, #designer, #garments, #quality