February 01, 2021

When compost-degradable polyester is buried in compost, it decomposes by the action of microorganisms and its shape disappears.

Is it true?　Here's the data to prove it.

 

Weight comparison during decomposition in specific compost

 CRAFTEVO® BIOZ Research by V&A Japan Inc.

 

93% of the total weight decomposes in one year

Bury 100 grams of compost-degradable polyester in compost. Each month the weight is gradually reduced. Finally, at the end of 12 months, only 7 grams remain. This graph shows that 93% of the polyester weight is gone. 

In one year, almost all of this special polyester will lose weight through decomposition. Apparently this is a certainty. Even I, Yoshi, who is not good at chemistry and is in charge of the Tavitalium, can imagine that natural fibers (cotton and wool) would decompose in the compost and disappear. But it's hard to believe that polyester, a chemical fiber made from petroleum, decomposes in compost, isn't it?

It's been proven by data, but I just can't seem to get it. For a long time, I was not convinced. There are a lot of high-performance materials that are theoretically possible under ideal conditions, but in reality they don't work as theoretically possible because of various practical conditions.

 

 

I buried my Tavitalium eco T-shirt in the compost at the farm.

Seeing is believing. That's why we decided to actually bury the first Tavitalium eco T-shirt (Released in 2018) in compost. The T-shirt is made of 100% compost-degradable polyester, #30 single yarn jersey material (Fabric part number VAPK9556BZ WF). The collar, body fabric and sewing thread are all made of polyester, and the wash name is made of cotton.

 

 

 

Where do you bury your T-shirt in the compost?

A permit issued by the prefectural government is required for the business of composting (decomposition of garbage by microorganisms in compost) food waste including waste plastic without harm. It is called "Industrial Waste Intermediate Treatment Permit".

Tavitalium has partnered with a ranch that holds an "industrial waste intermediary permit". The ranch owner of this ranch is a true compost expert who has been growing specific compost suitable for decomposing compost-degradable polyester for over 30 years. It is because of the specific compost from this ranch that we are able to collect used eco T-shirts from our customers and compost them. This is both the end and the beginning of an indispensable journey for Tavitalium's eco T-shirts.

 

 

Now, we took the T-shirts to the farm and buried them in specific compost. We took the T-shirts out of the compost once a month for a year. Let's look back at the change of the T-shirt in the video.

 

Video of Tavitalium's eco-friendly T-shirts composting and returning to the earth

 

 This is an extravagant video that shows a T-shirt that took a year to observe its progress in just 12 seconds.

 

The results of the decomposition experiments, in which changes in appearance were observed, were found to be in very good agreement with the results indicated by the weight ratio data presented in the first section.

It really does compost visibly in real life. That's what the Tavitalium's staff found out when they got a year older.

 

Recycling-oriented resource use

The only ways to dispose of polyester products have been to burn them or landfill them. However, if it can be composted, the amount of carbon dioxide emission can be reduced by 40%. If we can compost, we can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40%.

We work hard to finally create a product. Once the product is made, the next step is to determine if it can be composted without any environmental impact. For those of us who are involved in eco T-shirt, not only the product but also the process of disposal in manufacturing.

From the earth (oil) to the earth (water, carbon dioxide and biomass), anyone who wears T-shirt can try this recycling-oriented resource use.

 

 Reference: "Environmental assessment of bio-based polymers and natural fibers" by Martin Patel et al, Utrecht University, Netherlands

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