Afterglow zippers are made mainly from discarded PET bottles, as well as old fibres and other polyester remnants and yarn waste. These pass through a process of granulation and advanced chemical recycling, and emerge as a sustainable polyester polymer, which is then used to create the recycled yarn for our zipper components.

 But it doesn’t end there. Our Blue Sign approved zipper components are also made in such a way that at the end of a garment’s life span, they can be easily broken down and recycled over and over, offering an end-to-end sustainability solution and a superb, eco-friendly sportswear zip. 

YKK’s Eco-friendly Natulon Zips are made using a process called ‘chemical recycling’.

An ISO 14000 certified company, YKK is committed to eliminating hazardous chemicals from its manufacturing processes, including PFCs, phthalates, solvents and heavy metals, among others.  The company also uses eco-friendly dyes that almost eliminate water usage and employs energy efficient manufacturing methods that save more than 3,600 kWh of electricity per 1000 kilograms of production.

In its broader sustainable zipper ranges, YKK uses plant-based zippers and organic cotton, some of which Afterglow will be implementing in future garments

More about YKK’s eco-friendly zips - read here