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Recycled Plastic Dog Collars // Your Dog & The Environment Will Love ‘Em!

Every year over 8 million tonnes of plastic waste enters our oceans. Why not transform this tragedy into opportunity by creating recycled plastic dog collars and leads?

The innovative shift from single use waste to consumer pet fashion is one way our exhibitor Doggy Eco is designing the future of the Australian Eco Conscious pet industry.

What is rPET yarn

The leads and collars are made from rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate). This recycled textile is a multi use, multi-reuse plastic. The rate of current plastic disposal occurs at a rate equivalent to one garbage truck of plastic every single minute. By 2030, it will be two truckloads per minute. By 2050, four truckloads per minute. Within Australia packaging materials make up 35% of land waste by volume. The design and manufacture of Doggy Eco dog collars prevents this waste.

What rPET means to you

Our research into designing Dog Collars and Leads revealed that some items claiming to be rPET are not 100% rPET. These products generally have some virgin plastic within the mix. This is a note to consumers to consider the percentage of rPET within their product purchase.

Ideally stopping plastic production entirely would be the most suitable and beneficial option for the health of our planet. At our current rate of consumption and dumping a re-use solution is a good start. The alternative is for this plastic to enter landfill where it can take thousands of years to break down. Dumping plastic can also result in the leaching of toxic chemicals into the Earth. This is of greater concern because these chemicals can make their way into groundwater reserves.

Australia and Recycling Plastic

Our primary source of plastic waste in Australia is packaging – bags packets bottles and jars. There is roughly one million tons of plastic within circulation within any one time.

Australian manufactures were approached to develop Doggy Eco products however, rPET production in Australia is still in its infancy. As a result Doggy Eco uses the same offshore manufacturer to remain closely involved in the manufacturing process. We have found Australia has limited options for small and emerging businesses in the rPET space.

Making Recycled Plastic Dog Collars

So just how do we go from a used plastic bottle to designer doggy fashion?

  • A preparation process selects and sorts recycled plastic.
  • Sorted plastic is washed and chopped
  • The chopped recycled plastic is turned into pellets.
  • Pellets are reshaped and passed through an ultra fine sieve to produce a yarn.
  • The yarn is woven and dyed to produce the high tensile designer product available to our customers.

Benefits of rPET

Doggy Eco leads and collars take far less environmental impact than other virgin inorganic textiles. rPET uses 75% less energy than its virgin counterpart. As a result production reduces Carbon Dioxide by 4200kg, Oils by 36.4kg and water by 6200kg and it repurposes a product destined for landfill.

Doggy Eco consciously chose to work with recycled plastic over cotton, hemp or other natural textiles. Our decision to use rPET is as a result of not only sustainability considerations but the fantastic properties of this textile. rPET is tough, clear, has good chemical resistance with natural barrier properties and processes as well – if not better than – virgin.

Benefits of rPET to the creation of new polyesters

  • Various studies all agree that rPET production uses anywhere from 35-53% less energy than to make virgin polyester.
  • We are keeping bottles and other plastics out of landfills and reducing use of raw/virgin materials.
  • rPET produces up to 52% fewer emissions than the production of virgin polyester.
  • Virgin plastic costs more to make than using recycled plastic

So when it comes to choosing your next dog collar or lead, now you have the option to choose Eco-Friendly.

You can learn more about recycled plastic pet collars and shop the full range at www.doggyeco.com.au

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