Making eco-friendly comforters with discarded down jackets

As the winter temperatures drop, Minhang District residents are adding "creating a quilt" to their to-do list and using old down jackets to make their quilts more environmentally friendly.

Among the stores offering the service is one on Xintan Road in the district's Xinzhuang Town.

Customers were queuing inside the hand-made quilt workshop for a recycled quilt – feathers salvaged from old down jackets and reused to make a new and low-carbon duvet.

Craftsmen expertly packed feathers into a cover for a puffy and soft quilt.

The demand for hand-made quilts has increased in recent years, according to a shop worker.

"The locals favor silk and feather fillings. Prices for craftsmanship and raw materials have increased slightly over the previous year," she added.

Customers visit these stores because they can witness the creation of their quilts.

"In the winter, goose feather quilts are the most popular. People prefer silk quilts because of their tenderness," the assistant remarked.

"It is quite economical to dismantle some old down jackets and use the feathers for a quilt. We only have to buy a cover," one client stated.

"My down jacket and feather quilt are rapidly wearing off. So I decided to recycle them both into a new quilt," explained a client surnamed Chen.

The quilt store would carefully dismantle the old down jackets, collect the feathers, and machine-recharge them into a cover to create a brand-new and protective duvet.

"Generally, you can combine five or six old down jackets to create a feather blanket for spring or autumn. The jackets must have more feathers to make a winter feather quilt," remarked the sales assistant.

The store's owner stated that he receives many orders every day and is amazed at people's growing understanding of environmental conservation and the cost-effectiveness of purchasing a new quilt.