Macias Têxtil bets on more sustainable products made with PET

The brand Macias Textil, which is part of Texbrasil (Brazilian Textile and Fashion Industry Internationalization Program) — the result of a partnership between Abit (Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association) and ApexBrasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency), – is betting on more sustainable solutions.

According to the industrial director of the company, Heitor Macias, today they work with a line made with recycled yarn from PET bottles. The line includes five products: Mac Sport Light, woven in canvas with 44% recycled yarns; New Mac High, twill fabric with 53% recycled yarn; Carmel PET, ripstop fabric with a waterproof finish and 60% recycled yarn; Mac EcoBag, canvas fabric with 39% recycled yarn and Canberra PET, twill and pelleted fabric, with 53% recycled yarn.

Besides being available in Brazil, the fabrics are also sold in Paraguay, Argentina and Peru. And still, according to Heitor, the idea is to widen up the sustainable production in the next years. “Macias’ goal is, by 2024, to exchange all polyester raw material for recycled polyester”, he explains.

For this, the brand has a partnership with Repreve, a global brand specialized in recycled fibers production. “Repreve provides us with how many plastic bottles are recycled to produce each meter of our fabric. Today, we manufacture per year, already converting, 150,000 bottles. In 2024, we expect to be using 1,200,000 bottles”, says Heitor.

For being a worldwide brand, Repreve provides its own tag, that allow Macias’ clients to ratify their products and also receive tags that indicate the sustainable origin of the parts.

Besides the plans to expand production with sustainable polyester, Macias still intends to take up the Bio-D line, made with Amni Soul eco yarn. According to Heitor, the line development had to be paused during the pandemic, but the company intends to start using the thread again, which has rapid decomposition after disposal, in the second half of this year.

About Texbrasil

The Brazilian Textile and Fashion Industry Internationalization Program (Texbrasil) works with companies in the textile and apparel sector developing strategies to conquer the global market. Over 20 years, it has helped around 1600 brands to enter the export market, generating USD 9 billion in business. The Program is carried out through a partnership between Abit and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil).