By 2025, European Union member states are obliged to have a selective textile waste collection systemin place. Although it appears to be a limitation, this regulation turned out to be the incentive for an ambitious project for a non-profit organization in Barcelona.
Since 2021, Barcelona City Council has been financing the project promoted by Moda Sostenible Barcelona (Sustainable Fashion Barcelona). The project is currently in pilot testing, and its main objective is to systematize a collection method with recycling practices on textile materials. The project, known as Trashion Fab, works on the recovery and recycling of textile waste, its main axes are:
Collection service:
It is carried out selectively on clothing workshops and it aims at removing excess material from production and secondhand garments. To ensure the quality of the process, the project includes training for the companies that are part of the pilot to select and separate materials at source. The objective is to cover pre- and post-consumer recovery..
Classification and recycling:
Collected material is used in local clothing workshops where Ecodesign guidelines are applied by selected personnel who receive specific training. According to the composition of the materials, they are classified according to different types of use, for example, shredded material as filler or as new textiles within the automotive sector. If recovered material is high quality, it is mixed with new material and new garments are designed.
Training:
Training is the main axis of the project, and is based on two lines of work. In principle, the training is aimed at industry experts who want to be trained in Ecodesign and circularity to apply it to their organizations and also to vulnerable social groups.
If we consider that the fashion industry is one of the biggest environmental impact industries, and that, due to e-commerce, consumption has doubled in recent years, we can say that all possible initiatives that seek to apply circular business models within the growing and impressive sector are absolutely necessary.
Sources:
The Trashion Fab: “lo que para otros es residuos, para nosotros es una oportunidad”. Fashion United Spain. Available on: https://fashionunited.es/noticias/moda/the-trashion-fab-lo-que-para-algunos-es-un-residuo-para-nosotros-es-una-oportunidad/2022021837907 [accessed: March 13, 2022]
THE TRASHION FAB initiative, promoted by Moda Sostenible Barcelona in collaboration with Solidança and Upcycling BCN, has been accepted in the European project STAND Up! Moda Sostenible Barcelona. Available on: https://www.modasosteniblebcn.org/la-iniciativa-the-trashion-fab-impulsada-por-moda-sostenible-barcelona-en-colaboracion-con-solidanca-y-upcycling-bcn-ha-sido-aceptada-en-el-proyecto-europeo-stand-up/ [accessed: March 13, 2022]