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Last weekend, J.Gomes, a company that produces recycled yarns, attended the RESOTEX cross-border fair for sustainable fashion and textile recycling, from which it returned energised and with new insights. This was an initiative of the RESOTEX project, funded by the Interreg VI-A Spain-Portugal (POCTEP) 2021-2027 programme, led by the Provincial Council of Cáceres, in which 16 Iberian entities take part, five of which are Portuguese: ATP, CITEVE, MODATEX, the Municipality of Covilhã and the Municipality of Fundão.
‘We were there on invitation from the organisation, it was the first fair we’d been to, and we felt it had everything to do with our journey as recyclers. It was an opportunity to publicize what we do, but also to exchange knowledge,’ Catarina Gomes, managing partner, told T Jornal.
The Covilhã company was in Plasencia to present its own Ri-peter brand. The garments are all produced in 100% recycled yarns and neutral colours with knits from Beira Interior. ‘It’s an embrionary slow fashion brand. Our slogan is ‘Don’t need don’t buy’, not because we don’t want to sell, but to encourage people to create memories and hauls with their clothes,’ she says.
She also emphasises the fact that it is a brand that meets the criteria of Extended Producer Responsibility, that is, ‘at the end of the garment’s life, the customer can return it and receive a 20% discount to buy a new one’. The garments are designed to last 30 years, says Catarina Gomes.
After being collected, the item undergoes a sorting process to be recycled in a mechanical recycling unit to be reincarnated into another item. ‘We want to be a brand that raises awareness of the problem,’ she repeats.
This is year one for J. Gomes, after the fire in 2022 and the process of rebuilding the factory. ‘We’re a company with hope for tomorrow,’ she says, pointing out that the company already has 49 years of experience. ‘There are challenges, we have to evolve in chemical recycling, the big brands have to make more confident use of recycled materials, universities have to be involved, and we’re working hard to find solutions to improve balance and involve the community,’ she continues.
An example of this is the ‘re-use box’ project, a solidarity initiative in which post-consumer waste is treated and turned into yarn to make blankets. ‘Recycling has the power to look at your neighbour with dignity. That’s what we do by turning clothes into blankets to donate,’ he explains. But the company’s core business is still to process pre-consumer waste, and as such, she invites companies in the sector to install collection containers and take part in the process. ‘We collect anywhere in the country,’ says Catarina Gomes.