At Solmate Socks, sustainability is at the heart of what we do. We're passionate about creating colorful, unique socks that not only look great but also help reduce our environmental footprint. One way we achieve this is by using recycled materials, including cotton. But how exactly is cotton recycled into new yarn? Let's take a closer look at this fascinating process. 1. Collection and Sorting The journey of recycling cotton begins with the collection of used textiles. Our yarns are a mix of pre- and post-consumer textiles. Pre-consumer textiles are the trimmed off fabric that was generated during the cutting and sewing of other apparel items. The post-consumer textiles can be old clothes, sheets, and other fabric items that have reached the end of their life. Once collected, these textiles are carefully sorted by type, color, and quality. Sorting by color helps us avoid the need for re-dyeing, saving water and energy—a small step with a big impact on our planet. 2. Shredding and Blending After sorting, the textiles are mechanically shredded into small pieces. This process breaks down the fabric into individual fibers. To enhance the strength and durability of the final yarn, these shredded cotton fibers are blended with recycled polyester. This blending ensures that our yarn is both strong, long-lasting, but still perfectly soft and cozy. 3. Cleaning and Carding Next, the shredded fibers undergo a cleaning process to remove impurities like dirt, dust, or any remaining non-cotton materials. Once cleaned, the fibers are carded. Carding is a crucial step that disentangles and aligns the fibers, forming them into a continuous web. This step ensures that the yarn produced is smooth and uniform, a key quality for our high-standard products. 4. Spinning The aligned fibers are then drawn out and further aligned into a thinner, more uniform strand. This strand is spun into yarn using a spinning machine. The spinning process twists the fibers together, creating a strong, cohesive thread ready for the next step in its journey. Our yarns are custom made for Solmate Socks and during the spinning process we go a step further and add nylon and lycra to our yarns which gives our socks added strength and stretch to ensure quality and comfort. 5. Quality Control Quality is paramount at Solmate Socks. The spun yarn undergoes thorough inspection to ensure it meets our high standards for strength, uniformity, and appearance. Various tests are conducted to check the yarn's durability, elasticity, and other important properties, ensuring that every pair of socks we make is of the highest quality. 6. Knitting Finally, the finished yarn is used to knit Solmate Socks. This results in the vibrant, and cozy yet durable socks you know and love. Every pair of Solmate Socks made with recycled cotton helps reduce textile waste and conserve valuable resources. A Commitment to Sustainability At Solmate Socks, we're committed to making a positive impact on the environment. By using recycled cotton in our products, we not only reduce waste but also promote a more sustainable textile industry. We believe that every step towards sustainability counts, and we're proud to be part of this journey. Thank you for supporting Solmate Socks and our commitment to sustainability. Together, we can make a difference, one pair of socks at a time.
