In the United States, colorful plastic glasses are a symbol of university holidays. Cheap, resistant and easy to throw, they are used to millions every year. The problem? They are very difficult to recycle. Most of the collection centers do not have the suitable equipment to treat the mixture of plastics they are made.
Lauren Choi, at the time engineering student at Johns Hopkins University, decided to face the question starting from a simple observation: why not transform them into textile yarn? This is how his project was born: The New Norm.
After graduating in 2020, Choi obtained a loan to buy an extruder machine: it serves to transform the shredded glasses into a continuous wire, ready to be used in textile production. He had already tried to build one alone in his parents’ garage during his studies. He knew that that equipment was fundamental to give concreteness to his idea.
To improve the quality of the yarn, Choi collaborated with two other US colleges that helped it to develop a natural and non -toxic component, capable of making the plastic filament softer and suitable for the skin.
An important turning point came when Reynolds Consumer Products – the mother company of Hefty – decided to finance the project. A paradox: one of the main manufacturers of plastic glasses that now support those who transform them into sustainable garments.
No seams, no waste and less microplastic
Today, the production takes place between North Carolina and Virginia, where the collected glasses are shredded and converted into continuous wire yarn. This type of yarn, unlike the traditional one to multiple garments (used for example in wool), does not release microplastics during washing. And this is precisely one of the key points of the project.
Microplastics represent one of the most serious problems related to synthetic fabrics: every time we wash a garment in polyester or nylon, a part of the fibers disperses in the water and in the environment. With the continuous filament used by New Norm, the risk is drastically reduced.
In addition, the garments – sweaters and caps – are made of 3D knitwear, a technology that allows you to create the entire garment in a single piece, without seams and without waste of fabric. No cutout, no fabric thrown away. Everything is used, as Choi at Guardian:
With the 3D knitwear, much less waste is generated than the classic size and sew. Our garments come out ready from the car: they don’t need seams, it is a single piece.
Another interesting detail: no dye is used. The pastel colors – yellow, green, pink and blue – derive directly from the original shades of the glasses themselves. Each garment tells a visual story of the materials from which it comes.
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A line that likes and that sells
The New Norm collection is produced today in a Brooklyn laboratory, where 3D knitwear machines transform the yarn into caps and sweaters with a simple but well -kept design. Prices vary from 45 to 85 dollars, accessible for a product made ethically, without exploitation and with recycled materials.
The garments stole: each new release is often exhausted within a few hours. The success of sales has prompted Choi to think big: now he collaborates with some companies interested in the yarn to test resistance and durability, opening the doors to new applications in the industrial textile sector.
The idea, born in a garage, is transforming itself into a sustainable chain that combines innovation, fashion and respect for the environment. It is not just a startup: it is a concrete example of circular economy that works.
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