A lot of our material talks about “recycled plastic bottles” and “bamboo fibre” but what does all of this really mean? Is it just marketing speak or do these really mean something? How do we know how many bottles are recycled per pad? And do eco-friendly fabrics really make a difference?
Recycled Plastic Bottles
Each Paladin Saddle Pad is made by recycling more than 15 1Ltr plastic bottles - in fact it’s around 18 per pad. Now here’s the maths… It takes 12 1Ltr plastic bottles to make 1 metre of fabric and each pad uses around 1.5 metres of fabric, therefore every saddle pad is made using around 18 recycled bottles.
The polyester is called RPET ‘Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate’ in other words - polyester made using recycled plastic bottles. Rpet is made by melting down existing plastic bottles and re-spinning them into a new fibre which can then be used to create a number of different items of clothing, t-shirts, swimwear and most importantly the very hardy outer layer of your Paladin Saddle Pad!
Bamboo Fibre
Your Paladin saddle pad is stuffed with eco-friendly bamboo fibre! Most saddle pads worldwide are filled with polyester but we decided to look a little deeper into sustainable options and came across the wonderful bamboo fibre. Turns out bamboo fibre is perfect because not only is it one of the most eco-friendly materials on the planet but it is also fantastically wicking being 300% more water absorbent than cotton, making it IDEAL to soak up the sweat from your horses back!
Bamboo fibre is a natural textile made from the pulp of the bamboo grass and has a list of benefits so wide it makes it perfect for so many different uses! Fibre2Fashion.com have called it ‘The most eco-friendly fabric on the planet’ explaining that it has an ‘extensive rooting system that grows on average four to six new shoots a year, naturally replenishing itself.’ It is also 100 per cent biodegradable, the most renewable resource on our planet, and provides an abundance of usable oxygen making it a crucial element in the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Click here for even more details or see this lovely list of benefits below:
· Most eco-friendly fabric on the planet
· 100% biodegradable
· Growing bamboo enriches the soil
· Provides an abundance of usable oxygen as it grows
· 300% more water absorbent than cotton
· Machine-washable
· Moisture wicking
· Antibacterial - keeps you odour free and feeling and smelling fresh
· Hypoallergenic - natural bamboo does not cause allergic reactions
Machine Washable?
The best thing about these fabrics is that they are all machine washable - so chuck it in the washing machine at a low temperature and let it dry naturally to get the most out of your Paladin Saddle Pad.
We hope this helps explain things a little bit more but of course if you’d like any further details then please do get in contact here