Recycled polyester fabric: verify the content before making the claim

01

Write the denominator next to the percentage

Ask whether the stated recycled percentage refers to the whole fabric, the polyester portion, a particular component or the complete garment. Without that denominator, two suppliers can use the same percentage to describe different compositions.

Textile Exchange describes recycled polyester sources and recycling routes.[1] That material category does not tell you the yarn specification, fabric structure, weight, finish or performance. Request those details as you would for a virgin-polyester fabric.

For an illustrative blend containing 60% polyester and 40% cotton, if half of the polyester portion is recycled, recycled polyester represents 30% of the total fiber mass on that stated basis. It does not make the fabric “50% recycled” overall. Confirm the actual composition evidence before using any such calculation in a product claim.

Example assumes the stated composition and recycled share are established. Trims, coatings and other garment components are outside this simplified fabric calculation.

02

Use market data as context, not product proof

Textile Exchange’s Materials Market Report 2026 reports approximately 9.7 million tonnes of recycled polyester production in 2025, compared with 9.4 million tonnes in 2024; it identifies plastic bottles as the source of 97% of recycled polyester production.[2] The comparison below uses both years from that same report.

These are global production figures. They do not identify the feedstock or recycled share of your supplier’s fabric. A market statistic cannot replace a material declaration, authenticated certification evidence or the transaction records relevant to a particular order.

Ask the supplier which claim it can substantiate: recycled polyester content, bottle-derived feedstock or a textile-to-textile route. Do not infer the more specific statement from the broad material name.

03

Approve the fabric, not only the material story

List the fiber composition, yarn information available, knit or weave, weight, usable width, stretch behavior and finish. Review a physical sample for the intended garment. The recycled origin does not settle softness, opacity, pilling, dimensional behavior or print compatibility.

Choose performance checks according to use and construction with the technical team. A fitted active garment, a loose lining and a structured outer layer ask different things of their fabric. Avoid a universal “recycled is weaker” or “recycled performs identically” statement without comparable evidence.

Keep the test sample tied to the material and production lot. If a supplier changes the base while retaining the same recycled-content percentage, the earlier garment approval may no longer apply.

04

Connect the claim to the seller, material and order

Request the supplier’s composition statement and the evidence behind the recycled-content claim. If a certification is cited, identify the scheme, certificate holder, scope and current status. Then ask what documentation will connect the certified material to the intended transaction.

Textile Exchange provides official certificate-authentication routes.[4] Use the scheme’s current process and ask the issuer to resolve mismatches. A logo in a brochure or a cropped certificate image is not enough to establish coverage for your order.

Keep the procurement and marketing reviews connected. The person writing the product page should see the approved evidence and claim wording, not just the fabric’s sales nickname. If evidence remains incomplete, leave the claim open rather than filling the gap with a more confident adjective.

05

Avoid environmental conclusions the evidence does not support

FTC guidance calls for substantiation and qualification of recycled-content and environmental claims.[3] A verified recycled percentage does not automatically prove lower emissions, lower water use, recyclability or biodegradability for the finished garment.

Keep any comparison tied to its defined system and evidence. If no product-specific assessment exists, do not invent an environmental percentage from a generic article. Likewise, “made with recycled polyester” should not imply that every component is recycled.

Before production, agree how material substitutions affect both the specification and the product wording. If a proposed replacement has a different recycled share or evidence status, review it before purchasing rather than repairing the claim after launch.

For the broader material decision, the T-shirt fabric guide connects composition to construction and intended use without making recycled origin a proxy for performance.

06

rPET material and claim verification record

Keep composition, material performance, certification and marketing wording in separate review fields.

Record the percentage denominator explicitly. Attach original documents and authentication notes, then identify the exact claim wording cleared for the product. This sheet does not certify a material or replace transaction evidence.