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After first experimenting with a mix of bamboo and polyester, Oak Hall eventually turned to recycled plastic bottles, already used to make sweatshirts and other clothing to change the way academic regalia are made and worn.

The result is a comfortably soft outfit virtually indistinguishable in colour, feel or fit from traditional polyester material. The company will begin marketing GreenWeaver this summer, and new caps and gowns will be available for December graduations and fully rolled out in time for next spring’s graduates. All of the company’s caps and gowns are made in Virginia.

With some 60 million plastic bottles going into U.S. landfills alone every day, GreenWeaver offers colleges and universities a chance to turn trash into keepsakes.

“’Wow!’ was the first reaction we received when we showed some of our customers,” D’Angelo said. “They’ve told us, ‘I can’t believe that you can make something that can look like this out of plastic. Our students will embrace this.’” Oak Hall had already taken steps to protect the environment, such as using recycled cardboard in caps and switching to a non-polluting dry-cleaning machine.

“Universities are making the commitment to turn their campuses as green as they can,” D’Angelo said. “We’ve heard that call, and we’re confident that universities will support the GreenWeaver line because that’s what they’ve asked for.”

For every gown purchased, Oak Hall will make a contribution to a campus environmental group as directed by each university’s administration.