Introducing EcoSmart® Polyester

We’re committed to innovation and sustainability across all of our brands, and as a leader in innovation, we believe it is important to continuously seek to improve the raw materials that we use and to find better options for our environment. Our next step is a move beyond recycled polyester with a new option to reduce the impact of plastic textiles fibers in the environment for some of our top performing printwear products. 

We’re proud to be able to offer you and your customers EcoSmart® polyester, a technology that allows synthetic plastic-based fibers to behave more like natural fibers once they are in a landfill as compared to untreated polyester. And because this innovative solution significantly accelerates the breakdown of plastic fibers in soil and the sea, ultimately it is reducing microplastic waste in the environment.

Synthetic microfibers are the #1 form of microplastic pollution found in aquatic, atmospheric & terrestrial environments around the globe.*

  • During the manufacturing process, EcoSmart® polyester technology is added to virgin or recycled polyester when the plastic pellets are melted down to make fibers and yarn. It becomes embedded in the plastic so it never washes off and does not impact the durability (per ASTM and ISO testing methods).

  • Through our partnership with CiCLO®, we hope to bring positive change to the printwear community and to provide comfort and quality in clothing made to last, just not in a landfill.

    To learn more about CiCLO® technology, 
    visit ciclotextiles.com.

  • For more information on our sustainability commitment to People, Planet and Product, go to HBISustains.com

* Source: Roland Geyer, Jenna Gavigan, Alexis M. Jackson, Vienna R. Saccomanno, Sangw on Suh, Mary G. Gleason, Quantity and fate of synthetic microfiber emissions from apparel washing in California and strategies for their reduction, Environmental Pollution, Volume 298, 2022, 118835, ISSN 0269-7491, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.11