The clothing industry is abound with marketing claims of sustainable practices. One of the most exciting is that comfortable, versatile, and durable fabrics can be made from plastic bottles. First Mile, a social enterprise and certified B-corps based in Pittsburgh, is on the leading edge of the fabric from plastic industry with partners including Aerie, Marmot, Ralph Lauren, Puma, Converse, and others. Their soft, durable canvas spun from plastic bottles and a business model that creates income for independent entrepreneurs in Haiti, Honduras, and Taiwan are a leading example for the fashion industry as it works to turn the tide from endless waste to a closed loop of value.

How it Works

Aerie, Marmot, Ralph Lauren, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Puma, Converse, Day Owl, and HP are some of the companies that source their plastic bottle based materials from First Mile, formerly Thread International. First Mile in turn oversees waste reclamation by working directly with individuals in Haiti, Honduras, and Taiwan for specific types of bottles that they collect from their local environment. The plastic is sorted and shredded to create plastic “flake”, which is spun into yarn at their licensed yarn spinning and textile mill partners in both the Eastern and Western hemispheres. They’ve created over 35 types of fabrics in a variety of colors that don’t sacrifice the feel or utility of other materials. In addition to facilitating the on the ground plastic recycling and raw processing of materials, First Mile works to develop the communities they source from, partnering with local NGOS to build schools and provide access to medical care, along with other evolving initiatives.

By the Numbers

1.4 million lbs of plastic waste diverted from beaches, landfills, and oceans
30 million plastic bottles recycled into something useful
$215k created in revenue for individual collectors in impacted countries
To make a shirt – 12 bottles
To make a sneaker – 9 bottles

Creatively Better

First Mile truly exemplifies the ways that companies can do better, starting with deep, genuine analysis into how they’re impacting the communities at the root of their supply chain. While recycled certifications exist, currently no third party certification covers the collection network of recyclables, starting instead at the recycling facility level. Waste reclamation networks are often informal with little oversight or intervention, meaning that brands who are sourcing recycled content without knowing who or where it was collected are open to a number of human rights and social impact risks.

While acknowledging the difficulties in ensuring that, for example, no individual under the age of 18 goes out to collect plastic for one of their collection centers, they’ve taken stringent steps to monitor and remediate child labor in every possible way. They’ve committed to the Clinton Global Initiative and partnered with WORK in Haiti,  to eradicate the necessity of child labor in situations of dire poverty by providing families with healthcare, job training, and educational opportunities. Besides making genuine investments in the communities where they buy the raw material of their thread, First Mile is committed to creating solutions to our endless waste and ingraining the closed loop philosophy. One example is their Take Back Policy – you can ship any First Mile  product back to their headquarters in Pittsburgh when you’re done with it to be sure that it ends up recycled further through the Renewal Project, an apparel company that creates new products out of discarded textiles.

“While many brands don’t have working knowledge of their supply chains beyond Tier 2 suppliers, First Mile Members have access to a traceable supply chain down to the individual people and entrepreneurs who are responsible for picking up the plastic bottles that end up in their products. Our Members are at the forefront of supply chain transparency and are setting a new bar for responsible sourcing.“

Kelsey Halling, Head of Partnerships at First Mile

Creating Another Problem?

First Mile has also delved deep into the environmental impacts of their material production by partnering with the Cradle to Cradle Institute, an organization that analyzes each step of a manufacturing process on a molecular level and grading it based on environmental impact. They’re blatantly transparent about the results – that they will never score higher than a bronze rating because of the release of antimony, which is present in PET plastics and can be released in the heating processes required to turn the recycled PET into fibers. Critics of this model might also argue that this solution is only perpetuating another problem – that of the billions of microplastics that end up in the ocean from washing non-natural materials in washing machines, invisibly still affecting marine life. However, one look around the coasts and waterways of almost any third world country – or certain parts of any country – makes it clear that while turning this scourge into something useful and profitable to individuals in the most impacted environments may not be the final solution, it’s a progressive step that will yield lessons, create awareness, and engender more solutions.

“When I look back and am looking at myself now and see the progress of my business, I ask myself if it’s really me – that woman who did not know nothing about plastic bottles and is now running four collection centers.”

Nadine Phillip, Recycling Center Owner, Les Cayes, Haiti