M&S launches £20 school uniform - made from recycled plastic bottles

The bottles are chopped, melted and turned into yarn before being made into cloth.

It is the first time a range of clothes made from plastic has been sold in Britain.

Rival Bhs responded to the news by announcing that it will also be offering a school uniform partly made from recycled bottles.

The move is seen by M&S as cementing a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint and the amount of plastic packaging which ends up being dumped in landfill sites.

The company has recently announced a trial scheme to charge 5p a time for plastic bags in Northern Ireland, which may well be extended to the rest of the country.

It is also moving towards packaging which is compostable and rots down relatively quickly.

School uniforms are an ideal choice for clothing made from recycled materials because they have a relatively short lifespan since children grow out of them quickly and put them through a lot of stress in the playground.

The first items in the M&S range will be skirts, trousers and fleeces, from £7 each. They are made entirely from bottles and will become available in August at 20 stores nationwide.

There will also be a white polo shirt, which is made from a mix of recycled polyester and cotton, starting at £3.

The fabric is produced in Taiwan, where this technology has been pioneered, while the garments are made in Bangladesh.

Julian Kilmartin, director of menswear and boyswear at M&S, said: "We're constantly looking at ways to give our customers the most innovative, best value and highest quality schoolwear on the High Street.

"Using recycled polyester is another way that we're doing this. You're getting the same M&S quality that you'd find on all our schoolwear but you're also doing your bit for the environment."

A spokesman said that although they were made from plastic, the clothes were no different from any of its products made from polyester which all undergo strict fire safety tests.

Bhs's garments are a mix of recycled plastic and cotton. The range includes polo shirts from £3.50; shirts and blouses from £5; trousers from £7; and fleeces from £7. It takes ten bottles to make one Bhs Greenfleece.