#sustainablefashion

107: FabScrap – Recycling and Reusing Textile Waste

Majority of the conversation around fashion waste revolves around finished products that end up in the landfill. But around 12 % that is around 6.3 million tonnes per year is sent by brands to the landfill in the design and development stage. These would be sample booklets with swatches and unused fabric rolls and prior to Fabscrap they ended up in the landfill. We talk with Jessica Schreiber CEO and founder of FabScrap, a non-profit whose 80% of earned income comes from service fees and fabric sales. They receive service fees from brands to Fabscrap to pick up their textile waste, similar to when they pay for recycling or trash pickup. They do this with an army of volunteers, almost 100 unique ones per month and their staff in Brooklyn and Philadelphia. Their staff take extra precautions to assure brands that their copyrighted materials are shredded and don’t reenter the market. Fabscrap also sells the fabrics to quilters, sewing enthusiasts, fashion students and assuring nothing that is picked up by Fabscrap goes to the landfill. With the long-term goal to influence habit and policy they create impact reports that they share back with their brands – how much and what fabric they picked and how was it sorted and if reused or not. Jessica believes that this makes the brands internalize the cost of their waste and may help them reevaluate and optimize their design and planning process. Learn more about this first of its kind initiative and organization on this episode of Mindful businesses.

#textilewaste
#mindfulbusinesses
#sustainablefashion
#fabricwaste
#fabscrap
#sustainablefashion

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Mindful Businesses
Mindful Businesses
107: FabScrap - Recycling and Reusing Textile Waste
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78: Thaely – Don’t Just Do It – Do It Right

We talk with Ashay Bhave, founder of Thaely, who as a middle-schooler dreamt of becoming a sneaker designer. His journey begins at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, where disenchanted within the first year, he returned back to Dubai to pursue a degree in business at Amity University. As a designer Ashay wanted to solve problems – the problem of plastic grocery bag waste – we consume 3 trillion of them annually. After some near fires in his kitchen, he developed a product Thaely Tex. Thaely is made with 100% recycled raw materials. Each sneaker uses ThaelyTex that’s made using 10 upcycled waste plastic bags. ThaelyTex is made in collaboration with TrioTap Technologies in Gurugram, India. The waste plastic bags are collected from housing complexes, offices, and stores from in and around Gurugram, India. The lining is made with rPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate is a fabric made from recycling waste PET Plastic Bottles) using 12 Recycled waste plastic bottles. With their partnership with The Shoe Laundry, the sneakers are either refurbished or recycled. Each pair is also packaged in a reusable rPET. Every component of the shoe and its process is looked into great detail to achieve Thaely’s sustainability goals. Come along and learn more in this episode.

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Design and Innovation
Design and Innovation
78: Thaely - Don’t Just Do It - Do It Right
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69: Avery Dennison – Retail Branding and Information System

We talk to Tyler Chaffo – global sustainability manager, Avery -Dennison. Avery Dennison doesn’t just talk sustainability. Their commitment to people and the planet fuels social compliance internally and is the foundation of a broad offering of responsible, ingenious solutions.

From labels made from recycled yarn to supporting emerging designers who use a diverse portfolio of sustainable branding elements, we help apparel and footwear brands meet consumer demand for ethical, green products. With high sustainability standards that exceed the industry norm, they are also committed to leveraging our reputation among retailers, manufacturers, and brands to accelerate performance intelligently while delivering positive economic, social, and environmental impact. With their RFID chips implanted in most everyday items, businesses can not only track and reduce on-hand inventory but also reduce waste. Listen and learn more in this episode.

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Design and Innovation
Design and Innovation
69: Avery Dennison - Retail Branding and Information System
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32: Desserto – Vegan Cactus Leather.

How a chance meeting in Taipei, Taiwan brings birthday twins together in their home country of Mexico, to create vegan leather. We talk to co-founders Adrian Lopez and Marte Cazarez of Desserto, where they create a highly sustainable plant-based vegan-leather made from cactus, with its characteristic softness to touch and yet a great performer in a wide variety of applications, complying with the most rigorous quality and environmental standards.

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Fashion and Beauty
Fashion and Beauty
32: Desserto - Vegan Cactus Leather.
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23: Alabama Chanin – For a Modern Sustainable Life.

We talk with the founder and slow design pioneer Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin. The company that has become what Alabama Chanin is today began early in 2000 with Natalie creating hand-sewn garments made from cotton jersey t-shirts. They are a leader in elevated craft due to a strong belief in tradition and dedication to locally sewn garments and goods—both hand and machine-sewn. They maintain responsible, ethical, and sustainable practices holding themselves to the highest standards for quality. At Alabama Chanin, they preserve traditions of community, design, producing, and living arts by examining work and life through the acts of storytelling, photography, education, and making. Natalie in her soothing mellifluous voice walks us through her journey in creating Alabama Chanin. Come take a listen.

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Fashion and Beauty
Fashion and Beauty
23: Alabama Chanin - For a Modern Sustainable Life.
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22: Mayu – Luxury Created Sustainably

We speak to Mayura Davda Shah the founder of MAYU, a sustainable luxury lifestyle brand which promotes a conscious way of life. Designed in New York with fish leather and vegan materials sourced from Europe she crafts goods for the betterment of our people and planet. Learn how waste can be used to create a luxury premium accessories brand. In fact, L’Officiel placed as one of the top 5 sustainable brands to watch out for along with Stella McCartney.

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Fashion and Beauty
Fashion and Beauty
22: Mayu - Luxury Created Sustainably
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19: Suta – Woven Uninterrupted Simplicity

We talk with co-founders Sujata and Taniya (Su and Ta) who decided to quit their well-paying jobs and put their hearts and souls into spreading love through traditional hand-woven sarees. They have a family of 1400 weavers. The process of weaving every saree is a celebration of centuries of tradition and the authenticity of Indian arts. Suta strives to preserve the art of generational craftsman, guaranteeing them a living wage and bringing their products to the urban markets. Learn about their journey in this episode.

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Impact
Impact
19: Suta - Woven Uninterrupted Simplicity
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16: Outerknown – For Earth and For Planet

We talk to Megan Stoneburner Aseem, Director of Sustainability and Sourcing at Outerknown. At Outerknown every decision is made with the highest regard for the hands that build our clothes and the world we call home. From seeds to suppliers to a circular design, their mission is to protect natural resources, empower the people crafting the clothes, and inspire change within the industry and beyond. Learn how they do it.

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Fashion and Beauty
Fashion and Beauty
16: Outerknown - For Earth and For Planet
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8: Swahili Coast – Worker-Owned, Worker-Managed, Worker-Financed Fashion

Swahili Coast partners with artisans in East Africa to craft ethically handmade, fair trade, adventure-ready accessories.It connect them to global markets using principles of fairness, dignity, and respect. Swahili Coast strives to support the creation of worker-owned cooperatives and provide continuing support through fair exchange and promotion of workers rights in the East Africa region.

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Africa
Africa
8: Swahili Coast - Worker-Owned, Worker-Managed, Worker-Financed Fashion
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5: Grant Blvd – Creating Employment for Formerly Incarcerated Women in Sustainable Fashion

We talk with Kimberly McGlonn, a passionate founder/CEO, Grant Blvd about her mission and her vision in training returning citizens women to create clothes in West Philadelphia. Following her brand’s goal to be inclusive, she has a wide range of sizes made from clothes that she gets from thrift stores.

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Fashion and Beauty
Fashion and Beauty
5: Grant Blvd - Creating Employment for Formerly Incarcerated Women in Sustainable Fashion
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