100% recycled raincoats! Yes, but how?

At Flotte, the selection of materials is at the heart of every development.

Our credo: use recycled materials to reduce pollution.

Our 100% recycled and certified fabric: rPET.

Recovering our plastic waste

Today, plastic production already weighs 320 million tonnes, and is set to double by 2034. That's a huge amount! While plastic bottles can take up to 450 years to decompose in nature, less than half are recycled. So, to reduce the production of plastic waste, Flotte has turned to rPET, a more responsible and sustainable alternative.

Our rainwear is essentially made from recycled bottles, food packaging and clothing. They contain no harmful substances and are manufactured under healthy and fair working conditions.

By 2021, Flotte had recycled 700,000 plastic bottles into raincoats.

What is rPET?

Essentially derived from the recycling of used bottles, food packaging and used clothing, rPET (or recycled polyester) is simply the fruit of this recycling, brought back to the fiber state for reuse.

How does it work?

After collection, plastic bottles and waste are sorted and washed before being crushed and granulated. Following this recycling process, a 100% recycled textile fiber can be produced: rPET.

This material ages slowly and is highly resistant to UV rays and the elements. A true eco-responsible alternative, rPET is comparable in quality to ordinary polyester and nylon.

Fun Fact: it takes the equivalent of 12 bottles of water to make the Amelot model and 16 to create a Belleville sweatshirt!

A virtuous circle

The higher the proportion of recycled polyester in the industry, the greater the virtuous effect on environmental protection and respect. In fact, the higher the proportion of rPET, the lower the consumption of new PET.

This solution requires optimization of the entire chain, starting with waste sorting. The aim is to transform our household waste into a source of high value-added raw materials.

A true gesture for the planet, rPET production limits greenhouse gas emissions and saves up to 60% energy. Both recycled and recyclable, rPET is part of a zero-waste, circular-economy approach. Reusing what already exists - that's the mission we've set ourselves.

Some interesting facts about rPET:

• Recycling one tonne of rPET containers saves 7.4 cubic metres of landfill space.
• Half a kilo of rPET used reduces energy consumption by 84% and greenhouse gases by 71%.
• Recycling 1 plastic bottle saves 6 hours of energy from a 60-watt light bulb
• 90% less water is used to manufacture recycled polyester than virgin polyester
• 70 billion plastic bottles are landfilled worldwide every year
• Plastic bottles in American landfills could wrap 5 times around the earth
• It takes over 500 years for plastic bottles in landfills to decompose