The Craft Cadence Recycled Performance Jersey, new from old

Cycling is an environmentally friendly activity, but some of the associated products leave a little to be desired. The Craft Cadence Recycled Performance Jersey looks to rectify this by using fabric made from recycled plastic.

Take for example, the clothes we wear. The majority are synthetic marvels that keep us cool in the summer, warm in the winter, dry in the rain and help us be seen at night. The big problem is that synthetic fabric manufactured from virgin plastic requires a lot of energy to produce. But by using recycled plastic – of which there is no shortage – you can reduce the energy and water that you need to produce yarn from first use plastic.

REPREVE Fabric

And with plastic pollution being a major global problem, anything that keeps plastic out of the environment is great. Craft Cadence use fabric produced by REPREVE. According to their information REPREVE have recycled over 20 billion plastic bottles. They state that they have conserved enough energy to power 189,249 homes for one year and saved enough water to provide 2.3m people with their typical daily drinking water for a year. 

To produce the fabric reclaimed plastic bottles are shredded, washed and then melted down. They are then spun into yarn and woven into a fabric. This process requires less energy and water than the production of virgin fibres. REPREVE has a UTRUST certification, to safeguard against a manufacturer trying to market their product as containing REPREVE fibres. This means they can test a piece of fabric to identify if REPREVE is present, ensuring that there are no false claims. 

The Recycled Performance Jersey

So that’s enough about the fabric, what about the jersey? Craft Cadence have aimed the Recycled Performance Jersey at the the keen club rider, as such the cut is a little looser than a race jersey. Not baggy MTB cut, but definitely more forgiving. The fabric is light and silky, it feels nice against the skin and has all the features you expect from a quality jersey.

Features

The Recycled Performance Jersey has three rear pockets and a zipped security pocket. Below the pockets a silicone band helps keep everything in place and a reflective trim adds a little night-time visibility. The full-length zip makes life easier when putting the jersey on and allows for temperature control. A zip-placket at the neck end stops any rubbing or snagging from the zip. The sleeves have traditional hems, rather than the laser-cut ends you get on race jerseys, with the benefit that they won’t fray.

I managed to fit in some between-lockdown rides, but actually most of its time was spent on the turbo! Outdoors it’s a comfortable jersey, not heavy or sweaty, perfect for club runs during the summer. Roll on the winter and it was the right weight for cold winter turbo sessions.

Conclusion

This Craft Cadence Recycled Performance Jersey shows how the clothing industry is starting to solve some of the problems around using artificial fabrics. I’m sure over time other methods will evolve, but this seems a good use of waste plastic, that might otherwise go to landfill. To take a quote from Cadence’s website “this jersey is the one for you if you are looking to combine sustainability, responsible sourcing and performance all in one package for your cycling adventures”

Check out the Craft Cadence website.