Reclaimed cotton (post-consumer)
Also known as: Recycled cotton, Post-consumer recycled cotton, PCR cotton
Cotton mechanically reclaimed from worn garments — saves water and pesticides and is usually blended with virgin fibres.
Description
Post-consumer cotton is derived from garments already used by consumers. The clothes are collected, sorted, mechanically shredded in rag-pulling machines and re-spun into new yarn. The process is far less resource-intensive than growing fresh cotton — it saves virtually all of the water and pesticides and requires no additional farmland.
Mechanical recycling shortens and weakens the fibres, so pure post-consumer yarns are rare. Typical constructions blend 20–50 % reclaimed cotton with virgin fibres (organic cotton, rPET or lyocell) to secure tensile strength, appearance and processability. Chain-of-custody proof is provided via the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) or Recycled Claim Standard (RCS).
- Substantially lower water, energy and pesticide consumption
- Slightly heathered look — sorting by colour often skips the dyeing step
- Shorter fibre length → usually blended with virgin fibres
- Certifiable to GRS, RCS or Textile Exchange
Properties
| Source | Post-consumer used textiles |
|---|---|
| Typical blend | 20–50 % reclaimed with virgin fibre |
| Certificates | GRS, RCS, Textile Exchange |
| Application | Basic tees, sweat fabrics, denim, towels |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Wikipedia: Recycled cotton (English) Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycled_cotton
- Global Recycled Standard bei Textile Exchange Textile Exchange https://textileexchange.org/
