Turning plastic bottles into clothing

Clean Bhutan teams up with Indian firm to recycle plastic bottles into fabric

YK Puddle

Imagine wearing a gho or kira made from plastic bottles – durable, comfortable and completely eco-friendly. It may soon be a reality.

Clean Bhutan, a civil society organization working for environmental protection and waste management, will collaborate with India’s Shree Renga Polyester Private Limited, known for its EcoLine Clothing brand, to introduce the bottle-to-clothing concept to Bhutan, converting used PET bottles into clothing.

Nedup Tshering, executive director of Clean Bhutan, said the project is based on a circular economy model. “This approach involves recycling PET bottles into fabric that can be used to make traditional Bhutanese clothing such as gho and kira.”

EcoLine Clothing was founded in 2008 in Karur, Tamil Nadu, and is a pioneer in the bottle-to-garment industry. R. Sankar, founder and Senthil Sankar, managing director of Shree Renga Polyester Private Limited, visited Bhutan on the invitation of Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.

The company has attracted international attention after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently made a public appearance wearing EcoLine clothing brand.

“Our company has won wide acclaim for producing sustainable apparel from recycled PET bottles,” says Senthil Sankar.

Currently, EcoLine processes 30 tons of plastic flakes into fibers every day. “By next year, the company will double its capacity,” says Senthil Sankar.

EcoLine uses solution dyeing technology to produce sustainable fabrics in a wide range of colors (over 200 shades). This method dyes the fabric during the production process, eliminating the need for water in the dyeing process.

Senthil Sankar explains: “Typically, textile dyeing requires 2.4 trillion gallons of water per year, but the solution dyeing technology used by EcoLine does not require a single drop of water. In addition, the water used to wash the PET bottles is also treated and can be reused.”

Since its founding, the company has recycled 164,250 tonnes of PET bottles, saving 10,600 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

The collaboration between Clean Bhutan and EcoLine is expected to be rolled out in two phases. Initially, Clean Bhutan will supply 20 tonnes of PET flakes per month to EcoLine, which will then process the flakes into fabrics for the Bhutanese market.

“These clothes will be used to produce gho and kira,” said Senthil Sankar. “This will also open up new business opportunities for local women entrepreneurs.”

In the second phase, EcoLine will set up a factory in Bhutan.

Nedup Tshering expects the signing of the MoU and necessary approvals, including The licence application will be completed within the next three months. “After that, operations will be in full swing. We are ready to supply 20 tonnes of plastic flakes per month. In fact, the first truckload of plastic flakes will be delivered in the next few weeks,” he said.

Clean Bhutan plans to work with Greener Way, Bhutan Ecological Society and various waste dealers and waste processors across the country to procure PET bottles from interested individuals.

Clean Bhutan will buy PET bottles at 30 Ngultrum per kg.

The project is also expected to contribute to Bhutan’s carbon trading market by balancing carbon emissions through local production. “Carbon emissions generated during transportation will be offset by the costs incurred from the production of raw materials and sales of Bhutanese clothing,” said Nedup Tshering.

Clean Bhutan, which has a team of 15 people, has trained more than 1,000 women to weave plastic baskets and other materials at the Waste Academy in Changiji, Thimphu.

Clean Bhutan is also supported by the Plastic Free Rivers and Oceans of South Asia (PLEASE) project, which provided a grant to help expand employment opportunities for local women seamstresses and craftspeople.