SEAQUAL® YARN: Recycled yarn with a marine plastic content

SEAQUAL INITIATIVE – working together to tackle plastic waste in waterways

The SEAQUAL INITIATIVE works with NGOs, fishing communities, public authorities, local communities and clean-up projects. As part of these programmes, waste is collected from seas, rivers, coastal areas and estuaries.

The collected materials are then sorted and directed to the appropriate recovery and recycling streams. Suitable plastic waste is cleaned, shredded and processed into SEAQUAL® MARINE PLASTIC. This is a traceable recycled raw material that can be used for a variety of applications.

SEAQUAL® YARN is manufactured using this marine plastic content. According to the SEAQUAL INITIATIVE, the yarn is made from 100% recycled post-consumer PET. Of this, 10% is SEAQUAL® MARINE PLASTIC and 90% is recycled PET from land-based sources.

>> Find out more about the SEAQUAL INITIATIVE

mbw® uses SEAQUAL® YARN for selected mini T-shirts with all-over print. The yarn is made from recycled post-consumer PET and contains a defined proportion of SEAQUAL® MARINE PLASTIC.

But how is this material turned into an individually printed mini T-shirt for our cuddly toys?

Suitable plastic waste is collected, sorted, cleaned and shredded. The processed material is first turned into flakes and then into pellets. These are subsequently processed into polyester fibres and finally into a durable yarn.

The yarn is used to produce the fabric for the mini T-shirts. The all-over printing process allows colours, logos and designs to be applied across almost the entire visible surface. The SEAQUAL INITIATIVE video further down the page provides a clear overview of the individual processing stages.