Top 15 Recycled & Recycled Clothing (2023): Leggings, Sneakers, T-shirts.

you can have noticed that we have a small climate crisis, but we also have a garbage crisis. Garbage is polluting our oceans, lining urban and rural streets and harming animals that are just trying to do their own thing. We can reduce our own use of plastic, especially single-use plastic. But thankfully, some companies have figured out how to turn some of that garbage — mostly plastic bottles and old clothes — into new clothes and accessories.

Here we list the favorites we have tried so far. Be sure to check out our other guides such as Best Recycled Bags, Best Recycled Everyday Items, or Best Reusables.

How plastic turns into thread

Most companies use recycled plastic, which means it is derived from plastic that has been used and recycled. Pre-consumer means that the product comes from the waste of the manufacturing process before anyone buys it.

Plastic bottles are collected, dried, crushed and turned into tiny balls. Then comes the plastic. extruderwhich rotates and pulls it like taffy to turn it into yarn. This still uses quite a lot of energy and resources, but produces far less waste. Everyone needs clothes, so they can be more environmentally friendly.