Safe to wear, but flimsy build.
↳ Safe basics, but expect to replace it sooner.
Why this material grade?
This product scored 62/100 on the 7-axis material rubric, based on its composition of 50% Recycled Cotton, 50% Recycled Polyester. Blended from 50% Recycled Cotton, 50% Recycled Polyester — the score is a weighted average based on each material's proportion.
C (55-69): Average material composition — typical blend, reasonable for everyday wear.
Average quality, high synthetic content
Decent for everyday wear, but the synthetic content means microplastic shedding and it won't biodegrade. Consider natural alternatives for your next purchase.
Breakdown
Composition
50% Recycled Cotton, 50% Recycled Polyester
Blend — recycled synthetic + natural
Every wash of synthetic fabric releases up to 700,000 microplastic fibers into waterways. Use a Guppyfriend bag to catch them.
This fabric will take 200+ years to decompose. That means a shirt you buy today will still exist in the year 2226.
Synthetic fabrics can contain BPA, which mimics estrogen. Studies have found BPA transferring to skin through sweat contact.
Network
Cost per wear
rough estimateReasonable cost-per-wear
How we got there
Base for Shirts: 100 expected wears.
× 0.70 for Recycled Cotton (low-durability fiber, durability 64).
= 70 expected wears. $44 ÷ 70 ≈ 63¢/wear.
Missing GSM — this is a category-level estimate, not garment-specific. Expect ±30% variance.
Real life is messier than a formula: how often you wash, how you wash, whether you wear it inside-out, dry on low — all of it shifts the number. This is the ceiling under reasonable care.
Care Guide
Decode symbols →Wash
warm (40°C)
Bleach
Do not bleach
Dry
tumble low
Iron
low
Dry Clean
avoid
Best For
Good durability (64) and comfort (59) for office wear
Good sustainability score (69)
Better Alternatives
Higher-rated shirts products — each card shows how much better this alt scores vs your current product.
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100% Merino Wool
Kathmandu
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100% Merino
Kathmandu
Women's K-Merino 250 Quarter Zip Top - Black Stingray
100% Merino Wool
Tradeoffs
Health Impact
Microplastic shedding · skin-contact synthetic load · likely chemical treatments
Moderate health impact — some synthetic content or possible chemical treatments. Rotate with natural-fiber alternatives where you can.
600,000 fibers/wash
50% synthetic
Antimony
- Antimony (trace): Recycled polyester carries reduced (but non-zero) antimony residue from upstream PET feedstock.
Biodegradability
Not BiodegradableMaterials will persist in the environment for decades.
Health & environmental impact →Label Confidence
MODERATELabel confidence moderate — one signal suggests the composition may be incomplete or under-verified.
- ⚠Recycled-fiber claim without explicit certification (GRS, RCS). Chain-of-custody for recycled materials is hard to verify without one.
What this score doesn't measure
- ×Fiber grade. Staple length, micronaire, strength. "100% cotton" could be short-staple upland or long-staple Pima — same label, very different fabric.
- ×Yarn processing. Singles count, ply (single vs two-ply), spinning method (open-end vs ring-spun vs compact), mercerization. Invisible from any label.
- ×Knit / weave structure. Single jersey vs interlock, knit tightness. A loose knit pills; a tight knit lasts.
- ×Fabric weight (GSM). One construction signal among several — and high GSM can come from loose cheap yarn just as easily as from fine tight yarn. We have it for blank manufacturers, rarely for retail.
- ×Pre-shrink processing. Sanforized cotton shrinks ~1%; non-sanforized can shrink up to 10%. Not visible from the composition tag.
- ×Construction quality. Stitch density (SPI), seam types, collar geometry, manufacturing tolerances (AQL). These often matter more than the fiber itself.
- ×Specific chemical loads. Health Impact flags "likely PFAS / possible formaldehyde" from composition × category — we don't lab-test individual SKUs.
We rate the fabric, not the garment. Composition is the floor of what you're guaranteed to be getting — most shoppers don't have that.
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