The outdoor apparel brand gets the material from a social impact startup named Thread, which works with about 1,300 bottle pickers in Haiti. Timberland four boots, which build on a previous set of Thread-infused products, range from the Men’s 6-inch Canvas (price $150) to the more sporty Newport Bay Thread Canvas Chukka Boots ($75). Thread breaks down the bottles into flakes, heats up the mixture, then passes it through an extruder, like water passing through a showerhead. It then rolls and bales up the threads, so they can be spun into fabric. The material is like polyester–after all, PET plastic, like polyester, comes from oil.
Read more: These Boots Are Made From Old Plastic Bottles Recovered In Haiti
thumbnail photo courtesy of [Timberland]
