Recycled cotton
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Composition by Mass
Price Benchmark
Price benchmark not verified for this entry; request a grade-specific quotation.
Suitable For
Linings, felts, padding and dust bags where fibre length is not critical.
Not Suitable For
Not for fine-count yarns or high-tensile fabrics on its own.
Known Limits & Failure Modes
Mechanical recycling shortens the fibre, so recycled cotton is almost always blended — commonly with rPET. That blend is what you are actually buying, and it is what determines both performance and end-of-life recyclability. A ‘100% recycled’ claim on such a fabric refers to the recycled share of both inputs, not to cotton content.
Commonly Cited Certificates
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GRS — Global Recycled Standard
Its chemical rules cover only the chemicals used in processing, not those already carried in the reclaimed feedstock, and no physical performance is tested. Ask which version a certificate was audited against; 5.0 becomes mandatory for audits from 31 December 2026.
AI-generated illustration. It does not show a specific supplied grade or test result.
RCS — Recycled Claim Standard
Carries no social, environmental or chemical requirements at all — it verifies the recycled percentage and stops there. Suppliers commonly offer it when GRS was asked for, so check which of the two the certificate in front of you actually names.
AI-generated illustration. It does not show a specific supplied grade or test result.
OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100
A chemical safety certificate, not an environmental one — a virgin fossil-based PVC sheet can hold a valid one. Because certification is modular, check whether the certificate covers the finished article you are buying or only a yarn, trim or component of it.