Dezeen promotion: British textile company Camira has created fabrics that contain recycled plastic collected from oceans and beaches.
Camira's Oceanic range has a twill weave comprising a light warp and a deeply saturated weft.
Up to 50 per cent of the fibres are created from recycled plastic bottles that were sourced from the Mediterranean sea and beaches as part of the SEAQUAL Initiative – an organisation that works to combat marine plastic pollution by collecting and processing bottles.
"For every two kilograms (four metres) of oceanic fabric sold, one kilogram of waste is removed from the ocean," said Camira. "One metre of fabric equates to 26 plastic bottles."
The SEAQUALÂ Initiative processes marine plastic and post-consumer plastic bottles diverted from landfill to make the yarn.
The waste is washed, shredded into a mixture and then extruded into chips. The fibres are treated into yarn and texturised, before being sent to Camira's factory in Huddersfield, England.
Oceanic comprises 16 shades in total, ranging from neutrals to pastels and bolder options. Colours include soft yellow, turquoise, bright red and sage green.
Camira was founded in 1974 and is based in Mirfield, West Yorkshire. It has six factories, five of which are in the UK and one in Lithuania.
Oceanic is the latest in a series of recycled textiles that Camira has produced in the past 20 years, beginning with a wool fabric made from old jumpers called ReSKU.
"We've always strived to break the traditional 'take-make-waste' model in favour of recycling, re-use and cyclical loops where we upcycle waste inputs to create new fabric," Camira said.
Camira has also made other fabrics containing recycled plastic water bottles, including collections called Xtreme, Lucia and Rivet.
As part of its bid to become more sustainable, the brand has aimed to create a more circular production method with its yarn supplier. In this process, remnants from its factories are taken back to the supplier and recycled into new yarn. Up to 25 per cent is incorporated into a new fabric.
Oceanic forms part of a greater collection of designs made with recycled plastic, including 3D-printed lampshades, marbled tiles, and a terrazzo-like material by Plasticiet.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Camira as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.