The Forum for Circular Fashion in Latin America works to set the basis for sustainable development and to generate added value in the fashion industry in terms of sustainability, traceability and transparency.
Hecho x Nosotros and the Forum for Circular Fashion in Latin America
At Hecho x Nosotros – an NGO with consultative status in ECOSOC - we work to promote sustainability in the textile and fashion industry. We contribute to the development of the industry by involving producers, companies, governments, academics, designers and consumers. For the past ten years, we have collaborated with civil society and international institutions to create tools to systemically change the current model for fashion; a model in crisis due to the negative social and environmental impact it causes.
The Forum for Circular Fashion in Latin America is a project of the NGO Hecho x Nosotros, which began in 2008 as a pioneer of the movement to create sustainable fashion, working collaboratively to promote changes in social and environmental standards. As such, we work with international organizations and academics by sharing information and practical experience in order to develop a sound foundation to achieve these goals. We believe that promoting responsible consumption and establishing the basis for the growth of the industry through a “train-the-trainers” approach are key elements to achieving structural change.
Today's global market enjoys enormous potential in terms of sustainability. However, Latin America is still not organized in a way in which good practices as well as the wealth of natural fibers, ancestral arts and local enterprises based on holistic systems in the region may access the necessary tools to engage in the market. Our challenge is to foster collaborative networks and technological tools that enable transparency between the chain of production and the consumer. In sum, the goal of our work is for Latin America to become a real alternative solution to the problems that face the textile and fashion industry.
At the Forum for Circular Fashion in Latin America, an interdisciplinary group of academics, designers, social enterprises, NGOs, foundations and philanthropists all invest their skills, knowledge and capital in order to propose an alternative model of production. This model generates added value to local artisanal production by balancing the exchange of different experiences and also ensuring that it is also competitive in the market. Commitment is crucial to developing such a model, which is why we maintain a network of dedicated people who are in constant dialogue to detect the problems that arise in the industry and also devise and implement solutions.
Developing a common language and establishing certification schemes which can be applied to all garments is key. This could be thought of as a passport for each product which provides consumers with all the information necessary in order to make decisions so that they are enabled to choose a world where people, the environment, biodiversity and culture are all in harmony. Through our clothes we can actively choose a more sustainable world.
We are researching and applying Blockchain technology to move towards a more transparent market by creating the necessary information and knowledge networks. The virtual platform is a tool that will make significant progress in terms of traceability and transparency in the industry. We will make information on the origin and processes applicable to each product available to the users, preventing the manipulation of data, information about quality and certifications from being manipulated. It is very important that the general public have access to the operations of a company and know if it complies with ethical and environmental standards.
Our work is constantly evolving both theoretically and in practice. This includes the work of hundreds of producers, cooperatives, SMEs and larger organizations in Latin America. This work is carried out in collaboration with our brand, animaná (B company), which is linked to the NGO and connects production and branding with cosmopolitan international markets.
Our vision of systemic transformation for Latin America and establishing a regional network of stakeholders has enabled us to be selected as one of the 20 references of sustainability in the fashion industry under the Fabric of Change (C&A Foundation and Ashoka). This gave us access to and support from consultants, academics, experts in sustainability and prestigious universities around the world. We work in a network of "B corporations", ITC, UNCTAD and the UN, and other international organizations. Adriana Marina, founder of both animaná and Hecho x Nosotros, leads a collaborative academic network with young professionals from around the world. This ongoing work embedded in knowledge networks allows us to make more visible the potential and importance of Latin America in the world.
Our events at the UN in New York are an important space for learning and dissemination. We reflect on 2030 SDGs as a framework for implementing the transformation in the industry that takes all the interwoven social, environmental and economic aspects it entails into account. We work to transform the industry through a joint action platform that adds value while also promoting the well-being of society, in an industry that currently fails to respect people or the environment.
We invite you to become a key player of systemic change in the fashion industry.
Forum for Circular Fashion in Latin America