Dive Brief:

• A sustainable apparel company, based in North Carolina, creates its clothing line from water bottles.
• The Dirtball brand uses 100,000 water bottles to construct 10,000 pairs of shorts, and each t-shirt manufactured is composed of seven plastic beverage containers.
• An added bonus is that the shorts are recyclable. The company will accept the used garment, break it down and spin it into a polyester fiber. 

Dive Insight:

Apparel doesn't only take up space in closets, but makes up a high percentage of waste entering landfills. Currently, only about 15% of textiles is being recycled nationwide. Clothing accounts for one of the most-discarded materials being dumped into landfill sites, making the cut as one of the top three items taking up space at landfills.

Fortunately, recycled clothing seems to be a trend that is catching on, and technology is making it easier for companies to use recycled fibers. An apparel recycling program is gaining momentum in Illinois as cities like San Francisco and White Plains, N.Y. are starting their own textile recycling programs to reduce the amount of waste generated by clothing.