In an innovative approach to tackling environmental issues and generating economic value from plastic waste, a Karur-based enterprise has been converting discarded plastic bottles into fashionable sportswear. Sree Renga Polymers, founded in 2008 in Kakkavdi near Karur, initially specialized in producing PET flakes. Over time, the company has expanded its operations to include the production of sportswear and winter clothing from these recycled bottles. What is often dismissed as waste is seen by the company as a precious resource, serving as the primary material for their clothing line. They have established a comprehensive supply chain that engages everyone from individual rag pickers to organized traders, ensuring the collection of used bottles from various regions across South India.
Upon collection, the bottles are transported to their Kakkavdi facility, where they undergo a meticulous process involving sorting, crushing, washing, melt spinning, yarn spinning, and knitting to transform them into garments. Employing advanced German technology, the PET flakes are melted at high temperatures to create fibers that closely mimic the texture of cotton. These fibers are then spun into yarn, knitted, and crafted into garments. The company boasts a production capacity of approximately 20 tonnes of fiber daily. By blending this fiber yarn with organic cotton yarn, they produce T-shirts and other ready-made garments, particularly suited for sports like football, cricket, and tennis. These eco-friendly products are marketed online under the brand name ‘Ecoline.’
“We take pride in our contribution to environmental sustainability, even if it is a modest one. Our garments are completely eco-friendly,” says K. Sankar, Managing Partner of the company. He highlights the use of dope dyeing technology, which incorporates colors during the fiber production process without the use of water, ensuring that not a single drop is wasted in dyeing.
Senthil Sankar, another Managing Partner, shared that the company has processed and up-cycled around 10 lakh plastic bottles, enough to fill a football stadium, to produce fiber yarn. Since its establishment in 2008, the company has recycled an impressive total of approximately 5,000 crore bottles.