Polyester is a synthetic fabric that’s usually derived from petroleum. This fabric is one of the world’s most popular textiles, and it is used in thousands of different consumer and industrial applications.
When blended with cotton, polyester improves the shrinkage, durability, and wrinkling profile of these widely-produced natural fibers. Polyester fabric is highly resistant to environmental conditions, which makes it ideal for long-term use in outdoor applications.
Polyester remains one of the most widely-produced fabrics in the world, and it’s hard to find consumer apparel that doesn’t contain at least some percentage of polyester fibers.
A FRIEND OF THE ENVIRONMENT?
Chemically, polyester is a polymer primarily composed of compounds within the ester functional group. Most synthetic and some plant-based polyester fibers are made from ethylene, which is a constituent of petroleum that can also be derived from other sources. While some forms of polyester are biodegradable, most of them are not, and polyester production and use contribute to pollution around the world.
It’s the most widely-used clothing fiber in the world, but as a synthetic material made from plastic, polyester needs a lot of energy to produce and is highly water and air-polluting, according to the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
HOW IS POLYESTER USED?
FOR APPARELS
Used in shirts, pants, evening wear, suits, jackets, socks, and underwear.
FOR HOMEWARE
Used in bath towels, kitchen towels, face towels, blankets, rugs, upholstery, curtains, cushioning, chair, sofas, and pillow
FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION
Used in LCD displays, Holographic films.
Innovations in Polyester
With continuous technological advancement and research & development, the polyester fibers’ properties are enhanced to suit various applications. A classic example is Recron®- a polyester fiber brand of Reliance Industries. It is developed in wide ranges depending on applications like Recron® Easy Stretch, Recron® FR ( Fire retardant), Recron® LP (low-pill tow and fiber), Recron® Super bright, Recron® Dyefast, Recron® Michelle, Recron® 3S, Recron® Superdye & many more.
Coolmax, a trademark of Invista, is specially-engineered polyester fiber to improve “breathability” compared to natural fibers like cotton. The series of closely spaced channels creates capillary action that wicks moisture through the core and out to a wider area on the surface of the fabric which increases evaporation & now often woven with other materials like cotton, wool, Spandex, and Tencel.
Several other fibers/yarns are widely used in various industrial & other functional applications like dope-dyed polyester yarns used in high-visibility garments.