Recycled polyester, also known as rPET, is often made from previously used plastics -primarily from bottles. Polyester is essentially a type of plastic made from coal and petroleum. As such, it is not biodegradeable and at the end of its life, it will likely end up in either a landfill or the sea. 

Given that hummel is a sportswear brand and polyester one of the main fibres we use due to its quick-drying, durable properties, we are keen to take a more environmental approach that will allow us to continue using the polyester fibre whilst reducing the amount of virgin polyester that is produced. The way to do this today is to use recycled polyester made from post-consumer materials such as recycled plastic bottles. The production of recycled polyester requires no new raw material and only 30% of the energy that the production of conventional polyester uses. We are currently working towards making polyester circular, so that we can use old fibers to make new fibers.