Polythene is a ubiquitous plastic, found in everything from plastic bags to food packaging. The new textiles have potential uses in sportswear, and even high-end fashion, according to US researchers. The plastic "cloth" is more environmentally friendly than natural fibres, and can be recycled, they say. Dr Svetlana Boriskina, from the department of engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, US, said plastic bags that nobody wants can be turned into high-performance fabrics with a low environmental footprint.

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