Ralph Lauren launches shirts made from plastics

Ralph Lauren has started selling a version of its iconic polo shirt that is made completely from recycled plastic bottles.

Each Earth Polo is made from roughly 12 plastic bottles and manufactured in Taiwan, where the bottles are collected and processed into high-quality yarn and fabric.

The shirt, which does not require any water in the dyeing process, went on sale in the company's retail stores throughout the world and on its website on Thursday, ahead of Earth Day on Monday.

In announcing Earth Polo, the company committed to removing at least 170 million bottles from landfills and oceans by 2025.

"Plastic waste is a major issue threatening the environment. We want to be part of the solution and utilize an innovative approach to create something valuable," David Lauren, the youngest son of the company's founder and its chief innovation officer, said in a statement.

"Every day we're learning about what's happened with global warming and what's happening all around the world, and our employees and our customers are really feeling that it's time to step up and make a difference," he said.

"When Ralph founded our company more than 50 years ago, he did so with the idea that whatever we create is meant to be worn, loved, and passed on for generations. It's with this spirit of timelessness that we approach sustainability," Halide Alagoz, the company's chief supply chain and sustainability officer, said in a news release.

Alagoz told China Daily that the company would "absolutely" expand its collection of bottles beyond Taiwan to other places.

"At the moment, we're refreshing our approach and framework around sustainability," she said.

Ralph Lauren partnered with First Mile and works with local entrepreneurs to collect recyclable plastic bottles.

"Through innovative partnerships within our supply chain, we were able to develop a scalable solution to produce our Earth Polo program at the same price as our classic Polo shirt," Alagoz said.

"The quality of the fabric for the Earth Polo meets the same high-quality standards as all of our other products," she said.

The Earth Polo comes in men's and women's styles, in green, white, navy and light blue, and retails for $89.5.

Alagoz said Ralph Lauren is working with experts who say the impact of turning a plastic bottle into recycled microfiber is "much less than that bottle ending up in the ocean".

Burberry and H&M were among fashion giants to sign on in late 2018 to the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP24, in Poland. The charter contains a vision to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

nancykong@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily 04/23/2019 page12)