DGrade: Dubai-based Company Turning Plastic Water Bottles Into T-shirts

DGrade is a Dubai-based company that makes garments out of plastic and is recognized as the first bottle-to-yarn manufacturing firm. The UAE is one of the highest consumers of single-use plastic bottles in the world. DGrade is transforming single-use plastic water bottles into T-shirts and face masks to ensure effective waste management. As per reports, a single resident of UAE uses nearly 450 plastic bottles per year, and less than 10% of the nation’s plastic gets recycled. A calculation based on 2011’s data revealed that the aggregate annual waste of UAE is at 4.3 billion bottles, and only a fraction of it gets recycled. The remaining plastic waste of the country goes to landfills, where it takes approximately 450 to 1,000 years to decompose. Kris Barber, a British entrepreneur, and expat came up with a novel way to help combat the issue with his eco-manufacturing business idea. DGrade is doing its bit by transforming discarded plastic bottles into caps, bags, T-shirts, and activewear. The products of the company are made out of 100% rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate). Each T-shirt of DGrade is made out of 8 to 12 plastic bottles. The manufacturing process involves the collection of plastic bottles from local firms then washing, melting, and flaking the plastic to churn out short fibers. Plastic bottles are collected by DGrade through an initiative named ‘Simply Bottles’. The extracted material is spun into recycled yarn, which is then woven like a traditional fabric, to produce eco-friendly garments. This manufacturing technique makes use of nearly 50% less energy than producing polyester from scratch and the carbon emission is 55% less. The industrial operations of DGrade are currently undergoing in Asia but Barber has plans to bring the company’s supply chain closer to the domestic market. DGrade started its operations in 2010 in the UAE by selling sustainable garments to international as well as local organizations. The predominantly B2B enterprise manufactures and designs products as per the specifications of the customers. By recycling the plastic waste into apparel, DGrade is supporting organizations in sourcing sustainability. The company is also contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 12, 13, and 15. In 2019, the company recycled more than 200 tonnes of plastic and intends to enhance the volume by up to 10,000 tonnes by 2025.