How are Jelt Belts Made from Recycled Plastic Bottles?

How are Jelt Belts Made from Recycled Plastic Bottles? - Jelt Belt

November 15 is America Recycles Day.

In honor of today, we are #jelting with our sustainable belts, of course! 

Did you know Jelt belts are made with sustainable materials from recycled plastic bottles? Since our inception, the use of sustainable materials has been a priority to the company and our products. We source all of our recycled polyester yarn from recycled water bottles. The recycled polyester yarn is woven into super strong elastic, giving Jelt our signature, strong stretch.  

From this waste to your waist. Jelt belts are made from recycled plastic bottles. Image shows water bottles littered on beach and a couple wearing Jelt elastic stretch belts.

Jelt belts are made from recycled plastic bottles. Illustration shows bottles being recycled into flakes, which are then melted into pellets, made into yarn and the yarn woven into stretchy elastic webbing.

Using recycled fibers saves the water and energy used to grow cotton and diverts scrap material from the waste stream; the post-consumer polyester yarn in our belt comes from single-use plastic bottles, just like the ones threatening oceans and marine life, all around the world. 

 

Diagram of recycled water bottles woven into super-strong elastic for Jelt Belts

To make recycled polyester, bottles are cleaned, sorted and then placed into a machine that chops and grinds them into small bits. The bits are melted and the softened plastic gets squeezed through a plate with a number of tiny holes. The plastic comes outs in thin filaments, spun on large metal rollers and then form a yarn that is ready to weave into recycled polyester. Check out this cool HOW IT'S MADE video to learn more about how recycled plastic bottles are made into polyester yarn.

 

Jelt is honored to do our part to help others make the shift to sustainable apparel and to incorporate minimalism into a lifestyle. And when you buy a Jelt, you will never need another belt, which is sustainable in itself! 

Happy Recycle Day everyone!