It might be strange to wear clothes made out of plastic bottles. But in fact some clothing companies are already making such clothes.
Fashion brand JUMA recently showed its newest collection at a workshop in Shanghai. Eighteen clothing items from the collection, including jump-suits, jackets, shirts and dresses, were made from recycled plastic bottles. “We realized that billions of water bottles were being thrown into landfills and oceans every year and that these bottles take hundreds of years to decompose (分解). We thought we should use them to create our clothes and help the environment,” said Alia Juma, the company’s design director.
Many other fashion companies are finding similar ways to save our planet these days. The process is rather simple. First, the plastic bottles are washed and cut into small pieces. Then they are melted and shaped into small balls. The balls are melted again to form thread. People can then use the thread to make different kinds of clothes.
According to Juma, it takes 67,000 bottles to create 1 ton of thread. This reduces carbon emissions by 4.2 tons and water use by 6.2 tons compared with the normal way of making thread. “4 bottles can make a pillowcase. 5 can make a shirt, 10 a dress and 20 a short coat,” Juma said.
Some people might have doubts about wearing something made out of plastic bottles. But according to Causeartist, a website that focuses on innovation, clothes made from plastic could be even better than nylon and polyester. Plastic thread can be made into different textures, such as cotton, silk or even wool. “The more we learn about recycled fabrics, the more we realize that they work just like other fabrics. You can get a heavier cotton feeling or a silky feeling by weaving the yarns into different textures and using different washing methods. There is actually a lot you can do with this fabric,” Juma said.
The price for the clothes in the new collection ranges from 500 to 3,000 yuan. However, Juma is optimistic that prices will fall when more companies follow the sustainability path taken by her business.
【小题1】Why is fashion brand JUMA now making clothes from plastic bottles?| A．Because too many bottles are being thrown away. |
| B．Because the company has advanced technology. |
| C．Because people are fond of wearing such clothes. |
| D．Because recycling the bottles is good for the Earth. |
| A．Creating 1 ton of thread in the normal way brings about 4.2 tons of carbon emissions. |
| B．Making clothes from plastic bottles reduces carbon footprint and is worth the effort. |
| C．A fashion company can make as many as 300 short coats using only 1 ton of thread. |
| D．The new way of making thread from plastic bottles is not harmful to the environment. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Critical. | C．Supportive. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．To advertise fashion brand JUMA. | B．To introduce a new type of clothes. |
| C．To praise fashion companies’ creativity. | D．To express concern about the Earth. |
