When plastic becomes sportswear

The observation: 8 million tonnes of plastic are released into the oceans each year (not cool!).

According to a study conducted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in 2050, if we do nothing, there will be more plastic than fish in the seas & oceans.

Breaking news (or not): Most sports clothing is of plastic origin!

Composed of polyester , polyamide or other synthetic materials (acrylic, elastane or Lycra) obtained by synthesis of chemical compounds from oil.

In short, it's plastic!

1. The first solution would be to no longer wear clothes (so live naked in summer, why not, but we still advise against it all year round).
2. The second solution is more accessible: buy clothes made from natural and sustainable materials, biomaterials, such as tencel, made from scraps of wood that cannot be used for furniture and objects.
3. Choose sports clothing made from recycled materials, such as used plastic bottles. Wearing sportswear made from recycled material helps limit the need to draw more and more from our planet's natural and limited resources.

At Circle, our products are created between 65% and 100% from recycled waste or pre- or post-consumer nylon.

• 49% recycled polyester from Italy from plastic bottles and nylon waste. The bottle is crushed into plastic flakes which are then melted into tiny granules to finally be woven into thread.
• 43% recycled polyamide from Italy, made from nylon waste from production scraps. This innovative fabric required 90% less water consumption than a classic polyamide fabric.
• 8% recycled elastane from Germany made from nylon waste from production scraps. A process which allows more than 90% of the yarn to be recovered during spinning, a great way to reduce waste on production lines.

Already because zero impact does not exist, regardless of the materials used or the efforts to reduce carbon emissions, there is always an environmental cost to produce.

Then because the problem does not stop at the production of plastic for your sports outfits: with each washing machine, microparticles (less than 5 mm) escape from your clothes towards the ocean (too fine for the purification systems).

Finally, plastic pollution does not only impact animals and corals.

It also attacks... WE, HUMANS (and this is the moment when the green skeptics are less clever) : studies have proven the link between reduced fertility, cancer risks, and even congenital malformations (microparticles have recently been found in the placenta human, just that).

So even if the quality of clothing helps reduce this micro-plastic pollution, using recycled plastic materials does not solve the problem.

There you go, we are not perfect but we are determined. What we can promise you is to continue to commit to always pushing the limits of what is possible in terms of pure eco-responsibility in sports clothing.

In the meantime, you can use a Guppy Friend : a pouch for washing your clothes in the machine, which collects plastic microfibers.

Circle's business model is an alternative to fast fashion: clothes designed with a zero-waste approach and limiting their carbon footprint.

But above all, they are designed to last, otherwise our commitments to lucid and responsible consumption would make no sense.

Durable materials: Beyond quality and performance, we have ensured the durability of our products during exercise, by testing them in more than 20 sports with professional athletes.

Our essential design: what's the point of designing environmentally friendly products if it's so that they stay in the cupboard or so that you get tired of them?

We put style at the heart of our collections, but always with timeless cuts and colors, so that your sports outfits always remain your favorites!

And after ?

Our fabrics last longer. We are working on the model of tomorrow, to be able to repair, upcycle, or recycle your Circle clothing that has aged. We will keep you informed when this service becomes available.