One year after the launch of a pledge encouraging textile, apparel and retail companies to accelerate their use of recycled polyester (rPET) by 25% by 2020, a new report has found that signatories have already met and exceeded their commitment goal.

Announced last year, the pledge was organised by global non-profit Textile Exchange, which works to promote the adoption of preferred fibre and materials, integrity and standards and responsible supply networks, through its Recycled Polyester Working Group.

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The pledge aims to substantially increase global availability of rPET and drive rPET production efficiencies and is in-line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal target 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), which encourages “industries, businesses and consumers to recycle and reduce waste”.

Released at this week’s Textile Exchange Sustainability Conference in Milan, Italy, the group’s ‘2018 Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report’  found collective usage of rPET among the signatories grew by 36% and did so two years before the challenge’s projected end-date.

In addition, the group’s ‘2018 Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Benchmark Insights Report’ also showed that, among participating companies, the top three rPET users are all signatories of the challenge— underscoring the idea that engaging in both benchmarking and fibre challenges can help companies accelerate their progress in making strategic sustainable decisions.

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Overall, companies that participated in the Preferred Fiber & Materials Benchmark programme, reported a 28% increase in rPET usage.

Meanwhile, an additional 12 textile, apparel and retail companies—including Aldi-Nord, NIKE, Teva and Under the Canopy—have joined the rPET Challenge in 2018, which will continue to support increased use of rPET.

Textile Exchange and the rPET Working Group believe that supporting, on a pre-competitive basis, investment in further developing rPET production around the globe, will lead to more efficient supply chains and increase the availability of more sustainable fibre choices in the market, the group said.

“We are incredibly proud of all the rPET Challenge signatories who not only accomplished the goal we set, but did so early—and whose progress underscores the importance of making commitments to accelerate change within the textile supply chain,”  added Karla Magruder, Textile Exchange board member, and sustainability consultant.