Recycled polyester, usually called rPET, is polyester fibre or filament made from recycled material, most commonly post-consumer PET bottles that are cleaned, flaked, melted and re-spun. Surat mills can supply fabric woven from rPET yarn, because several Indian fibre producers now spin rPET filament and staple and sell it into the Surat weaving trade. What the buyer has to confirm is not whether the fibre exists but whether the specific roll in the container contains it, which is where certification comes in.
Mechanically recycled rPET performs much like virgin polyester for most apparel and home textile uses, although it can show slightly lower consistency in colour and strength between lots. It is used in the same constructions as virgin yarn, and it prints and dyes in the same way with disperse dyes.
How recycled content is certified
- The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) covers recycled content plus social, environmental and chemical requirements across the supply chain. It usually needs a product with a majority of recycled material to carry the label.
- The Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) verifies the recycled content only, with a lower threshold, and is the lighter option when you need the content claim without the wider audit.
- Each site that handles the material, from fibre producer to weaver to process house to exporter, must hold a scope certificate under the chosen standard.
- Each shipment is covered by a transaction certificate (TC) issued by the certification body, which links the quantity sold to the certified input bought. Without a TC chain you have a claim, not a certified product.
What to ask a Surat supplier
Ask for the scope certificates of the weaver and the process house, not just the fibre producer, and check that the scope covers the product type you are buying. Ask how the mill keeps rPET greige separate from virgin greige on the floor, because physical segregation is a condition of both standards. Ask for a sample TC from a previous shipment to see that the unit knows the process, and agree in the order that a TC in your name is a condition of payment.
Practical points
rPET yarn typically costs more than virgin and is available in fewer deniers and finishes, so check availability for your construction before building a range around it. Lead times can be longer because the certified yarn may be bought to order. Keep the recycled content claim consistent across your labelling, your marketing and the TC, because a mismatch between what the label says and what the certificate shows is the most common audit finding.
How Creston & Co helps
We check scope certificates before shortlisting a supplier, visit the weaving and process units to see how certified material is segregated, and make the transaction certificate part of the loading checklist alongside roll inspection. We send sealed samples to an NABL-accredited lab where you need the fibre content confirmed. A free 20-minute sourcing review is a sensible first step if you are adding recycled polyester to your range.