Along with my purse, phone and keys, I carry my bobble water bottle wherever I go. It’s not necessarily that I’m a big water drinker (in fact, sometimes I can go all day without drinking any at all) but I never want to be caught short and forced to buy bottled water from the shop. Ever since I discovered more about the devastating effects of plastic pollution,  the idea of buying water bottled when its readily available in taps makes no sense to me.

That said, we all get caught out once in a while, and the fact is that billions of plastic bottles continue to be produced worldwide. But what if these bottles could be recycled, and re-appropriated into something useful? Well I recently came across a company who is trying to salvage our plastic bottles, and turn them into things we can wear and use; and a lot of big brands are in on it.

In 2013 alone, Repreve turned more than 740 million recycled bottles into fiber, using a process of melting the plastic into small chips and creating a fabric like fibre. This fibre was then used to create items of clothing for brands like North Face, Roxy and Volcom. Not bad for a bit of plastic we throw away after one single use!

I like to think that this is the way forward; merging sustainability and fashion without creating a whole new market of “green brands”. If big brands can take the leap forward in sustainable innovation, hopefully others will take their lead and incorporate these practices into their production methods.

For more info on how it works, check out the Repreve website, or check out their products here.