The use of virgin materials throughout the textile industry is often resource-heavy and has huge ecological ramifications. Only 9% of all plastic today is reused. The rest end up in landfills or worse, the ocean. Every minute of every day, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic is dumped in the ocean.

Globally, the recycling of plastic bottles for clothes is a growing trend, as conscious consumers in the western markets are demanding more garment items be made from recycled yarn in order to counter plastic pollution. In addition, the cost of production in China, the biggest producer of yarn made from plastic bottles, has increased a lot. This has prompted Bangladeshi millers to pump thousands of crores of taka into producing yarn and fabrics from plastic items. Bangladesh is set to become a major source of recycled yarn and fabrics made from plastic bottles as the country looks to capture more market share of global high value-added garment items such as activewear, outerwear, padding and quilting. The transition to a recycling textile industry in Bangladesh can be proven by analyzing the efforts of several private actors:

- Debonair Group, located in Bhaluka of Mymensingh, collects 30 tonnes to 40 tonnes of plastic bottles daily from vendors to make chips, then fibre and then yarn before producing garment fabrics.

- Singair, Manikjganj-based Mumanu Polyester Industries Ltd has a daily production capacity of 120 tonnes of yarn from plastic chips and fibres. 

- Zaber & Zubair Fabrics Ltd makes yarn and fabrics from the flakes of plastic chips imported from China.

To support this transition, the BTMA urged the National Board of Revenue to waive the duty on the imported recycled plastic fibre and yarn so that local producers can grab more share of the global recycled garment market.