From Bottle to Bralette: The Journey of Recycled Polyester

Most of our underwear starts life as something nobody wanted: a plastic bottle. Here is the journey from waste to wardrobe, in five steps.

1. Collection

Post-consumer plastic bottles are collected and sorted — bottles that would otherwise head for landfill or, worse, the ocean. Bali knows this problem intimately, which is why it matters so much to us.

2. Processing

The bottles are cleaned, stripped of labels and caps, and shredded into small flakes.

3. Fiber

The flakes are melted and extruded into fine polyester filament — the raw thread of rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate). Same performance as virgin polyester, a fraction of the footprint.

4. Fabric

The filament is knitted into our lightweight microfiber: soft, stretchy, quick-drying, and ideal for high-definition printing — every whisker stays sharp.

5. Your DOKOYO

In our Bali workshop the fabric is printed, cut and sewn into the piece that arrives at your door. Made when you order it, so nothing is produced that nobody wants. Full process on Made in Bali.

Why it matters

Recycling PET uses significantly less energy than producing virgin polyester and gives existing plastic a second, much softer life. It is not a perfect solution — no material is — but paired with made-to-order production and minimal stock, it is a system designed to waste as little as possible.

Feel the end result yourself: the Cats Collection, from bottle to bralette.