Halacha Page 4: Shatnez Testers of America (STAM)

SHATNEZ HALACHA SERIES

PART 4

By Dr. Avrom Pollak

Reprocessed Materials
The question of fibers vs. threads is also of considerable importance when determining the shatnez status of clothes containing reprocessed materials or unknown fibers which are frequently listed on garment tags as O. F. (other fibers). Most often the source of these fibers is shredded rags made up of a large variety of materials. Although, for the most part, the shredding process breaks the threads down into their component fibers, which would, therefore, allow small amounts of linen to become botul, small fragments of threads do remain intact, and thus the laws of bitul do not apply. In practice, it has been the experience of the Vaad Hakashrus' Shatnez Laboratory that a very significant percentage of such clothing are indeed shatnez. For this reason, we recommend that, when possible, one avoid purchasing garments with reprocessed materials or unknown fibers.

There is another practical reason to avoid buying garments which have other fibers, or for that matter, reprocessed wool. The very reason why one purchases a wool garment in the first place is because of certain characteristics such as retention of shape, superior appearance and texture, and ability to repel moisture. These desirable characteristics of wool are, for the most part, due to the long undamaged fibers found in virgin wool. On the other hand, fabrics containing unknown fibers or reprocessed wool, because they are made from chopped up recycled clothes, contain short damaged fibers and are of much inferior quality. Although, to the untrained eye, a new garment may appear similar to one made from virgin wool, most likely, it will soon lose its shape and begin to pill, making such a purchase unwise despite the initial lower cost of such a garment. This also explains why garments made from reprocessed materials often have irregular textures and off-colored spots caused by inconsistencies in the recycled materials.