How is it Made?

UNIFI – Creating Yarn from Recycled Water Bottles

Mermet has partnered with green manufacturing powerhouse, Unifi to make our GreenScreen Evolve^® and GreenScreen Revive^® fabrics possible. Americas based manufacturer, Unifi specializes in creating Repreve recycled fibers. Repreve transforms recycled plastic bottles into amazing products you use every day – including window shade fabrics. In comparison to virgin polyester, the Repreve yarns used in the creation of GreenScreen Revive^® and Evolve consume 6% less energy, nearly 50% less water, and emits 34% fewer greenhouse gases during the manufacturing process. You can help Mermet and Unifi #TURNITGREEN by recycling your used plastic bottles.

Recycling bottles can make a huge difference. Since 2009, REPREVE has transformed more than 4 billion plastic bottles that have been recycled by you to make recycled fibers.

Knitting the Fabric

After the Repreve yarn is made, it is colored in a die bath and then knitted into finished fabric. Knit fabrics consist of rows and loops intertwined around each to give the fabric a unique, texturized pattern. Unlike woven fabrics, warp knitting is a family of knitting methods in which the yarn zigzags along the length of the fabric, following adjacent columns, rather than a single row. Once knitted, the fabric is then fabricated into a finished shade product where it can then be used for varying window shade applications.