The world of fashion produces more carbon emissions than all flights and international sea shipments together. Carry out a pair of jeans consumes 7500 liters of water. Half a million tons of microfiber are thrown into the sea every year. They are only three data, but they account for fashion as the second most polluting industry in the world. For this reason, more and more initiatives work on a concept of sustainable fashion with a positive impact.
first in the world
The first actions of this type began abroad. Since 2001, designer Stella McCartney He commands his own sustainable fashion firm, a time when it was very rare to talk about sustainability. 22 years later, she is the number one benchmark for conscious fashion, not only because of the materials she uses and her minimal waste philosophy, but because she works with wind power and LED lights in all of her stores.
adidas He has also been working in this line for several years. They recently presented their Move for the Planet campaign, a global initiative in which they invited sports fans to turn physical activities into actions for the planet. As? Donating 1 euro to Common Goal for every 10 minutes of activity recorded, in 34 sports, in the Adidas Running app. Contributions will support projects that educate or engage communities about sustainability through sport. The brand also plans to replace virgin polyester with recycled polyester by 2024 and offers products that were created with less environmental impact. For example, the River shirt, made from 100% recycled materials.
In gucci seek to reduce their environmental footprint by 40% by 2025. By the brand adhered to the standards of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation circular economy, with the idea of putting waste from the entire garment production chain back into the system.
up to the giant zara he put on the sustainable shirt: he seeks 0% climate emissions by 2040 by completely eliminating single-use plastics, using organic and recycled fabrics, reducing the impact on water and betting on renewable energy.
At the feet
In Argentina, more and more projects are lining up in these ranks. In some cases they are ventures created from scratch with this idea, and in others they are brands that launch an ad hoc line. The latter is an example of kioshia brand of sneakers that has just presented itsa rubber sole model called “Kiocycle”, made with materials left over from other products. “With the increase in production, the scraps (waste) that are generated as a result of the greater use of certain footwear components also grew. In this specific case, it is the Eva rubber soles, which we reuse as raw material to start manufacturing other processes”, explains Gustavo Dorado, plant manager, who estimates that 15% of production will have this sole. With this implementation, they will be recycling about five tons of scrap per year, which until now was waste.
Also in the footwear sector, Xinca It is a venture that was born from the union of three friends who were mobilized to generate social and environmental changes. “We wanted to create a company that would develop products that demand less raw material from nature”, details Alejandro Malgor, founder. And so, they began to create sneakers with the reuse of tires (for the soles) and textiles (for the uppers). In addition, they are made in a shoe workshop inside the San Felipe prison, in Mendoza. As a result of all this philosophy, Xinca is a certified B corporation and has won various awards.
Asked about how he sees the progress of this issue in the country, Malgor is optimistic: “taking into account that in Latin America there are 900 certified B companies and 200 are from Argentina, I think that in the region we are doing very well.” Although there is a lack of public policies that allow for the recognition and promotion of this type of initiative, for this entrepreneur the greatest power lies with the consumers. “Every day we have the power to choose what world we want and how we want the brands of the future to be,” he encourages.
the fair discard
Some brands stand out for rescuing specific materials. DRY was born in 2021 in order to recover disused umbrellas to make unique and genderless clothing and accessories. “There is no industry that recycles umbrellas anywhere in the world, and it is a highly recyclable product if we separate its materials”, details Antonela Tonizzo, creator. Her ideology is zero waste and triple impact, environmental, social and economic. The cycle works like this: they recover the entire umbrella by reinserting it into other production chains, donating a part to women from the Wichí community, who transform them into knitting needles, and another part to sculptors; plastic parts are taken for recycling; and the smallest pieces of fabric are donated to other endeavors. In addition, they help small economies through fair and local trade, with independent seamstresses and young entrepreneurs.
All this effort did not go unnoticed. Among other achievements, they obtained the Green Seal of Triple Impact issued by the Argentine Network of Municipalities against Climate Change 2021 and are part of the Circular Economy Network of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires. They also participated in sustainability events in Madrid, London and Porto, and were finalists for the 2023 Green Awards.
In Fracking Design, the trigger was the sand pockets that are discarded in the oil extraction process. When Ornella Basilotta, founder of the eponymous brand together with her two sisters, saw them on a trip to Neuquén in search of mohair, she couldn’t believe they were considered trash. “I felt that I was awakened by what entrepreneurs feel when they fall in love with an idea,” she says. And so, after feeling uncomfortable for a long time with the evolution of fashion, increasingly oriented towards fast fashion, her new brand was born in 2018, also carried out with her sisters.
Today they sell leather goods such as bags, backpacks, wallets, notebook covers and different accessories, all made from sandbags, which are sold online and in stores in Buenos Aires, while shipping worldwide. . “The consumer became more aware after the pandemic. And in Latin America this market grew by 86% thanks to e-commerce. Although in Argentina it is still an emerging market and there is still a lot to be done”, summarizes Basilotta.
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