Sears Sells Bagir’s Recycled PET Bottle Suit on Father’s Day

I don't know much about this, but wouldn't wearing a suit made out of plastic bottles give off toxins and offgassing that could irritate the skin or cause other health issues?

I think this suit is a step in the right direction, I think more recycling of suits would be awesome it would be great to start with the local tailors recycling reducing and reusing and suits that don't need dry cleaning is amazing I can't wait to see what else they come up with

Suit in, suit out. Each suit might have wool, silk, rayon, polyester, cotton, etc. If each ensemble that is to be sold had an environmental footprint label that would not only help the consumer make a selection, but would also enable retailers to receive those clothes back at the end of their lives and know how to up- or recycle them.

To encourage their return, a tax credit could be established that strongly encourages retailers to give a 20% discount for a suit if another footprint marked and cost comparable suit were returned at the time of purchase. Alternately, a certificate that proves the suit was donated to a charitable organization, along with a copy of the footprint tag, would also provide the discount.

How about using a local, co-op, business model to manufacture the clothes? Put Americans to work and reduce the distance traveled for the finished product. I'm not sure if we have a sustainable wool industry here, but we certainly throw away a lot of plastic bottles. That's my suggestion. Hope I win, even though I don't wear suits very often.

That last sentence gave me another idea: How about a bicycle friendly suit? Cut differently for range of motion, built-in strap to secure the cuffs, wicks perspiration, packable jacket. The possibilities are endless.

Sign me up for a PET suit. I think we need to start seeing a carbon footprint on everything that we buy. However, I don't think that it should stop there. We, the consumer, also needs information about where the raw materials (the ingredients) come from and how recyclable the product is. For instance, some of these fabric blends are not biodegradable and not easy to recycle.

What was wrong with wool?

If I wore suits, I would buy one.

This will fall on its arse before long. Making products out of recycled plastic bottles will only work if we make less plastic bottles per year.

The thing is we are making more plastic bottles every year and the bottles should go back into making them, not into suits or housing insulation. As a result we are using more virgin plastics to make all these new bottles.

I dont see how this is any different from using a food crop as energy.

As someone said before "What was wrong with wool?"

If we must use these plastic bottles for something other than more bottles, which seems crazy to me, then should we not be looking at more energy intensive products than wool to replace?

I want one! A closed loop system would be wonderful for clothing. The ability to return your suit to the manufacturer to be recycled again into something else could be revolutionary. Imagine returning your suit, and the company sends you a new tie that used to be your suit!

Mmmm, I think this could be used on other clothing product. A suit, and how it´s made, was and is a sign of status. I´m trying to be practical here.

I LOVE the washable suit idea. It would be more eco-friendly and save a lot of money time and gas( dropping the suit off and picking it up). Are the ties recycable and washable too? If not they should be. Men spill stuff on their ties all the time and ties have to be dry cleaned too. Wouldn't it be great if a man's suit was made out of old ties or a combo of old suits and old ties. Add a pair of recycled shoes, a recycled dress shirt, organic cotton undies, and organic socks and men would be covered in green. The recycled plastic is a great idea but I too have concerns about wearing plastic on the skin. Has any research been done in this area.

Wool I suppose is more renewable but one cannot argue with the cool factor of the recycled plastic suit. I don't imagine that wearing this suit is any more dangerous than wearing any other polyester clothing product. And really visible consumer goods out of recycled plastic is a great way to encourage recycling (eg if there is a bigger market for materials made from recycled stuff, then more companies will be inclined to collect materials to recycle or maybe even mine existing landfills for materials).

At the same time, we have to be careful, because in my mind the ultimate goal should be to completely be free of plastic so if we encourage the development of an industry that relies on plastic waste (beyond this temporary period of figuring out what to do with all of the plastic that being trashed now), there may be less incentive later to eliminate plastic all together.

Its tricky keeping one eye on the future while trying to do our best to solve the problems of today... I think this suit is a good idea in that it helps to get people talking about putting recycled materials to use. I think perhaps a better long term solution would be to encourage the use of sustainable materials (organic cotton, sustainable wool), create a better system for recycling/re-using regular suits beyond second hand shops (like an online swapping system like paperback swap), and of course, generally encouraging buying less stuff... Plus, menswear has the advantage of not being so influenced by fashion trends (a classic suit will always be fashionable) so recycling & reusing should be easier...

Simple idea to make a big impact on the environment:
Button-down shirt makers should stop packaging their shirts prepared to survive a nuclear blast! Shirts come with as many as ten or twenty pins in them, with swab of plastic around the collar, another plastic piece under the front of the collar, tags galore, and then all wrapped nicely in clear plastic.

Come on!

A classic, well-made suit can stay in style for a long time and still look good. In fact, the men in my life (father, brother, boyfriend, uncles, etc.), tend to outgrow their suits (usually in the waist area…) before the suit really needs to be replaced. I would like to suggest that a little extra fabric be left at the seams, so that the suit can be altered once that extra inch or two are needed. It doesn’t have to be so much that it looks bunchy, but just enough to go up one size. I have made this alteration to a pair of suit pants before, but there was very little fabric left at the seams to work with, so they were still slightly tight, but better and lasted one more season. Maybe the same thing could be done to a jacket, if some tolerance was left at the side seams, I’m not sure.
This might result in less suits being sold, but then they could at least be marketed as being made to last a long time.

I have an idea - - - How about we change the mindset of dressing to a certain standard, perpetuated by generations of ridiculous, tailored adornment. I suggest we revolt against the suit and embrace the robe. Noone seems startled to see The Dude or Obi-wan attending an important meeting in a nice, flowing robe. This robe would never need to be dry-cleaned, could be easily fabricated from a sustainable source, and could easily be paried with a poncho to provide weather-reisitance and warmth.

Plus - robes would be truly effective in hiding the girth of hyper-consumptive Americans!

Of course, I'll gladly accept the suit if I win! Robes just won't cut it in my world.

thanks for a great blog - this is my first 'comment'.

-jh

Considering the sheer amount of lifeless suits stockpiled in resale shops across the United States, perhaps an expanded recycling initiative should be developed?

Avoiding dry cleaning chemicals is a start, but the enormous quantity of hangars, hangar liners, and plastic bags that dry cleaners insist on providing with your clothes needs to be addressed as well. There's a huge amount of waste produced by this business, but if we moved to a model where customers had an incentive to bring in their own hangars when they brought in their own laundry, we could save a lot of waste. Just like many grocery stores will now give you a nickel or dime for bringing in your own bag, dry cleaners ought to consider the same for your hangars.

The best way to make clothes easier on the environment is to make them higher quality.

Higher quality clothes last longer, and therefore have to be replaced less.

If you buy high quality clothes, you are more likely to get them repaired instead of getting rid of them when they are torn.

For many different kinds of products, in trying to save money, people buy low quality items that need to be replaced more often and which don't get very well taken care off. Drop this penny wise pound foolish reasoning, and we'd be a lot less wasteful.

I want the suit!

I enjoyed SW's ideas for grocery-like incentives at the dry cleaner's to use your own materials. Also consider, though, trying to make the most out of everything you get from the cleaners. I recently started using the plastic garment bags for trash can liners. Just tie off the perforated end and you're good to go.

Other fun ideas?

Don't just limit this to men's suits- women's suits, and casual wear too. This would be really good for formal wear, as well. I need to wear formal wear too much to rent (I can buy cheaper), but I'd love something I could wash and not dry clean. How about a store where a customer could actually get a suit tailored or shoes cobbled. Actual customer service. These days I often can't even try on shoes before I buy them!

AVOID ALL "DRY CLEAN ONLY" CLOTHING! This is definitely the way to go.

The first and best way to green the garment industry is to bring some of the industry back to the United States. Very little cloth or finished product is made here any longer. Our world wide supply chain is large factor in the rise of CO2 emissions. Lowering the carbon footprint of both the transportation of the materials and the transportation of the finished product is not insignificant; what is the carbon footprint of flying a ton of finished clothing in a 747 from China to New York vs shipping it in a truck from Georgia? Obviously, the later would be a much lower expenditure of energy.
It is the logical next step in the "Buy Local" movement and has the added benefit of creating manufacturing jobs here in the US.

My revolutionary idea for greening the men’s tailored clothing business would be....less fabric. Let's see some hot guys walking around in some well tailored boxers. Heck, even some well tailored briefs would be something sweet for the eyes.

(Oh man, my husband would love this suit. Please, please...can I win?)

Just as governmental purchasing of recycled paper helped build a market for it, we should lobby our state and federal representatives to have the military and police uniforms they buy be made of fabric from recycled materials

i'm just back from a Burning Man Regional event. Several of us wear sharp looking suits in a plus 100 degrees camping artfest for our performance art. As everyone knows.. a good suit makes every one look good, but not after a few days of camping. If we had a few of THESE suits (in Black Especially) we could just wash em out in the creek on the rocks like in the old days. We are currently wearing $5 thrift store suits. Even so, they look like crap after one day in the sun. Bring on the Washables please.

I think the best way to cut down on formal wear waste would be to adopt a Netflix style rental model. Not only would it allow better management of suits worldwide, but it would accommodate the changing styles and waistlines of businessmen everywhere. Imagine a world where you don't have to pack suits for business trips, but only notify the distribution center which hotel you'll be at on a given date and they get you the appropriate suit for the occasion. By partnering with large hotel chains, and using them as distribution points the transport of suits would be minimal as well. Plus as suits wore out they could be intelligently refurbished or recycled in one central location, eliminating one of the major hardships of any recycling system (reclaiming the raw waste).

Please enter me in the contest. My submission for revolutionary greening of tailored menswear is about marketing green products to align with Men’s worldview. In general we want function, durability, value. It the benefits of recycled raw material can be communicated to men in terms of final product superiority, process efficiencies and statistical environmental benefit (in that order) rather than green emotional appeal clothiers will have higher green product adoption rates.

We are fathers and want a wonderful world for our kids, if the analytic presentation needs to be watered down for homogenization then let the emotional message appeal to our obligation to teach our children by example.

On a pragmatic level one of the most frustrating parts of suits is that the pants will wear out faster than the jacket if you use pants separately. Perhaps the PET durability story can overcome this issue? Or perhaps packaging this green product as two pants one jacket can building a "modular" story of greater flexibility VS. traditional multiple suit purchase(consumerism)

I hope i win.

There are a number of things wrong (socially and environmentally) with the textile industry of which the tailored clothing business is a part of.

Problems:

1. The dyes and fabrics come from unregulated factories and sweatshops where there are few, if any, provisions for the health and safety of the workers, let alone environmental "standards" to adhere to.

2. The garments themselves are assembled in unregulated sweatshops.

3. The completed suits are then shipped all around the world using gas-guzzling methods of transportation.

4. There is an unnecessary amount of packaging when it comes to men's dress shirts. The cardboard collar keeper, the plastic button protector, the paper folded in with the shirt that serves no immediately identifiable purpose, the scrap metal collectors dream cache of stick pins, the plastic bag it's all wrapped in and then the plastic bag it's wrapped in again when we purchase it. All waste.

Solutions:

No matter what happens, it starts with all of us.

As consumers, we have to demand change. We have to demand fair trade and environmentally responsible clothing.

1. When the demand is there, companies can start by sourcing locally made fabrics if available. If not, they can source organic fabrics.

2. When the demand is there, companies will start innovating, creating suits out of PET recycled fabrics, creating new fabrics we can't even imagine, or even perfecting the idea of "recycled/respun fabrics." (When we recycle fabric, it helps keep our thrift store donations from ending up in 3rd world countries where our old Old N*vy shirts end up competing with locally made garments, taking business away from local crafters).

3. When the demand is there, companies will start requiring their overseas factories to treat their workers well, pay them fairly, and utilize safe manufacturing methods.

WE can start changing the world NOW by supporting companies that are providing us greener options. The more we support those companies and choose their green products, the more green products we will see.

So in a nutshell, buy from local tailors when you can, buy the most well-made clothing you can afford, and support companies who are greening the way they do business.

Money is power, and we have the power to change the textile industry simply by buying right.

My revolutionary idea for greening the men's tailored clothing business:

The solution lies in the challenge: "tailored" clothing.

The Problem:

Too often, the only option for men who want a suit (or suit-related attire) is to drive to their local mall department store and buy something made in a(n) (insert Asian country) sweatshop. Further adding to the problem, many such factories source their materials from other oligarchies whose environmental concerns don't stretch beyond their unsustainable flower gardens. I'm being slightly facetious here, but only slightly--the bit about the flower beds is probably not true.

In larger cities, men can visit a tailor who may or may not charge an exorbitant amount to fit a suit. Yet there exist in even the smaller towns and counties tailors and seamstresses looking either for a little work, or a little challenge.

The Solution:

What to do? I call this solution "A Tailor to Cities: Organic, Grassroots Tailoring Markets"

Points:

* Like farmers' markets, tailors' markets will happen weekly (or more frequently), preferably on Saturdays or Sundays.

* Tailors and seamstresses will gather to promote their wares, styles, and services.

* Prices should be negotiable.

* Open markets should encourage tailors and seamstresses to use alternative, locally-made, organic materials: organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, or even recycled plastic. In fact, a pre-requisite for operating at a tailors' market could be agreeing to use such materials.

The tailors' market addresses the problems of "clothes miles," sweatshops, the decline of local businesses, and environmentally unfriendly materials in one brazen act of community. And like knitting circles, all it takes to get started is a few people and an ad in the local rag, although it will no doubt take much more civic support to keep them going and growing.

Even if I'm not chosen to receive a recycled suit (although I'd love one), I still think it's an idea to pursue.

A problem I find with suits is that the pants wear out so much sooner than the jackets. When you go to replace the pants later, it's often not possible because a) the pants are not available for sale individually or b) they come from different fabric lots, and the match is imperfect. It would be great to manufacture (and sell) classic suits with 2 sets of pants.

Another step in the right direction, which would increase brand loyalty, would be to have a "drop-off" wherevery you bought the suit. When you've gotten to the point that the suit is worn out (or the pants) or you're bored with it, you bring it back to the store, get a small credit towards your new suit(as incentive to hold onto it long enough to bring it to the store), and the manufacturer will pick up the suit and recycle/shred/reweave it.

I'm big fan of the ‘leasing' idea. If there could be a suit recycler, that would be the best answer - a company that makes suits out of old suits (as suggested in the post). This would be a service for the type of man that wears his suit till it's ragged, or the guy that can't be caught in the same suit more then once. I would also stretch this to include men’s dress shirts and ties. Take it back, get a fresh one, all at a fraction of the price. Why didn't someone just give Nau a trillion dollars and let them take over the clothing industry??

I was thinking the same thing about toxins from the recycled plastic leeching into the skin. i'd like to hear something from them addressing that issue. I think its a great idea on a number of levels to have a washable suit and I am all for that idea, but why make these suits out of the plastic/wool blend? that only adds to the complication in recycling the material or disposing of it afterward- if they really wanted to be sustainable they would make the suit entirely out of one or the other - natural or synthetic materials so that it can be upcycled or composted. a step in the right direction though- at least theyre trying and its a mainstream brand- hopefully it will help with awareness- the biggest obstacle to progress

i love that sears is stepping up in this way.plus $200 is totally affordable for a nice suit, so the wearer can feel good about looking good, about a good deal, and most importantly about implementing positive buying power in such an important way. i can't wait to see the suit in person. another detail which could help green the suit relates to the functionality of the design, specific to riding a bicycle, like shoulder/armpit seam venting, inner snapping tabs of fabric sewn into the pant legs, to keep pant leg rolled up above the height of a chain and all it's grease, or maybe a three-piece version in which the vest is also fashioned specifically with cycling in mind - warm for cold climes, cooling for hot climes. did i mention tan suits are so sexy!

Contest Entry:
hmm, looks like a lot of other people had the same "local tailors/recycling facilities" idea as me.

So: Another way of Greening the suit industry might be to make suits out of materials that can be deposited DIRECTLY into home composters once they're either worn out or become unfashionable. Finished with that suit? Donate it to the local community garden, mulch it and spread it around. Might wear out faster than usual, but then, that's just good business.

While stiff penalties and political regulation of materials is not the answer that the industry wants to resort to in order to sell green clothing, it seems logical that the next step would be to address the publics awareness of the damage that their current suits bring to the table, and the advantage that buying a green clothing product would have on not only the environment, but also on public health.

My idea is to include a second scannable barcode on the clothing item. The consumer would thus be able to scan the items barcode at a small multimedia device which would allow the buyer to see slides of the unique processes of the suit, data on what good the purchase of the item will have on the environment, and maybe even the pictures of the farm and conditions of the seep where the wool was purchased. When people can see that their money is going toward a product that is not only environmentally upright, but also humane, there is a higher likelihood that they will talk about the purchasing process and that will bring valuable PR.

When dealing with environmental issues you will draw a crowd who protect animals. The wool in your product will be under scrutiny by some as being exploitative, so to combat this, source your wool only from a certified humane source. Make your suit famous by being not only environmentally responsible, but also humane. Don't leave the equation half solved. Also when you have the finished product, don't forget to Boast.

I want this awesome suit!
Revolutionary Idea: create a huge demand for green suits by getting stars like Leonardo DiCaprio to not only wear the suit in movies and on his new GREENSBURG TV series for Planet Green, but also to pose for a series of ads. The ads would be tastefully posed, non-revealing naked pictures of celebrities with the caption: I LOVE THE ECO-FRIENDLY SUIT NATURE GAVE ME. BUT WHEN IT’S NOT ENOUGH, I WEAR THE MACHINE-WASHABLE ECOGIR SUIT FROM SEARS -- MADE FROM RECYCLED BOTTLES!
NUDE caption: "eco-friendly suit #1". EcoGir SUITED caption: "Runner up"

I think we need to think a little more out of the box. My revolutionary idea would be to create a suit that changes color. This way, you could have one suit but have many different looks. Perhaps we could develop a way to use soy-based dyes that are perhaps washable, where we could just wash the dye out when we want to change the color of the suit. Maybe we could use an insert that would change the color of the suit.
If everyone could have just one suit we would greatly decrease the need for tailors. We would need to address the longevity factor because we know they tend to wear out quickly, especially if we are wearing the same suit all the time. Recycling centers might still be needed. I love that Sears is stepping up and getting on board with this. It's a great suit, and I'd love to have one.

Contest entry:

Suit made from recycled hemp and bamboo fibres, to be sustainable, eco friendly and ant-bacterial (ie reducing sweat for all important interviews. Also Recycled buttons, fair trade bamboo thread and make it fairly standard. That way you can set up an exchange program where when your weight rises or falls you can exchange it for one in your new size at no charge, less reducing production.