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A central concern of the textile industry in general, sustainable production – and the innovation that comes with it – has been growing. The Green Circle project by iTechStyle, launched during the last Modtissimo, was an undeniable success, having been one of the most visited spaces of the fair.
The news on the national and international media only proves that Green Circle was a win bet and an extraordinary opportunity to showcase all the innovative and sustainable pieces that our textile industry is producing.
This success was a result of the dynamic established between the various players of the Green Circle by iTechStyle, namely the Associação Seletiva Moda; the CITEVE, who supervised and guided the whole process; Paulo Gomes , from Manifesto Moda, who was responsible for the project’s creative design; the designers, for their willingness to use sustainable materials to develop their pieces; and especially the Portuguese textile companies, which provided the materials, showing the sector’s innovative and sustainable solutions.
The success of Green Circle by iTechStyle crossed Portuguese borders and the showcase is scheduled to be present at sustainability and circular economy international events. On this page, you can find some of the project’s products presented at Modtissimo.
TENOWA RIOPELE
Line of fabrics made from the textile industry’s wastes, thus reducing water and energy waste. TENOWA means circular economy by recycling and reusing textile leftovers. It’s just one of the company’s examples of green production, which also involves photovoltaic energy.
RECUTEX FABRICS
New fibres obtained from fabric production waste. It has the purpose of producing same colour yarn. This process makes the dyeing process unnecessary, which becomes a strong contribution to the environment, saving water, chemicals and energy.
DEMI SOMELOS
Demi is a sustainable fabric, a blend of long staple cotton with Rose Fiber (a viscose extracted from the stalk of rosebush, one of the most surprising innovations), characterized by its luxurious feel and drape, giving a silky and shiny appearance and – best of all – is biodegradable.
WATERMARBLE WASHEDCOLORS
Fabrics and Knits dyed by the Wetamarble process are sustainable and differ from conventional processes due to the high water savings in the dyeing process. The WetaMarble process allows a 90% water savings, compared to conventional dyeing. The fabrics dyed by this process look marbled, making them distinctive and appealing. The WetaMarble process is the answer to the dyeing facilities in the near future.
RE.BORN PENTEADORA
Re.born fabrics arise from the need to rethink the use of raw materials, which cannot be incorporated into the final product at any given moment in the spinning process. These fabrics are made with a minimum of 50% of 3R fibres (reuse, reduce and rethink the use of material) from our woolen and worsted spinning units.
With Re.born fabrics we are giving our contribution to decrease CO2 emission, water consumption, chemical products, energy consumption and promoting the use of a noble and bio-degradable material – the wool.
SEAQUAL LMA
Three sustainable fabrics are used. The PES/WO fabric is made with merino organic wool, with non-chlorine treatment and with recyclable polyester. The PES/EA is made from SEAQUAL recycled polyester yarn made from 100% recycled materials including post-consumer plastic bottles and plastic captured from the sea. The PA/PES is made from recycled polyamide mixed with Seaqual polyester yarn made from 100% plastic captured from the sea.
PLASTIC BOTTLES JOAPS MALHAS
Ecoalf optimizes the lifespan of plastics by reusing and recycling items as many times as possible. The plastic bottles are collected and pass through a series of cleaning and crushing steps to obtain plastic flakes which, through a mechanical process, are converted into rough polyester spun fiber. This way it is possible to reduce 20% of the water consumption, 50% of the energy consumption and 60% of the air pollution.
COTTON AND CORK PENEDO/SEDACOR
Fabric made from cotton thread coated with cork from powder cork wastes, increasing the fabric resistance to microorganisms, in addition to being decorative and recovering a natural raw material (cork), that otherwise wouldn’t be valued.
HIMALAYAN NETTLE FILASA
Combines Refibra™ fibre with Himalayan Nettle fibre. Refibra™ uses wood from sustainable forest plantations and recycled cotton from textile materials. Himalayan Nettle fibre comes from a 100% sustainable plant that grows in the Himalayan forests at an altitude of 1800-3000 meters and grows without needing to be of replanted.
HEMP FIBRE INOVAFIL
The hemp plant is a very fast growing crop, producing a high fibre yield per acre. It also doesn’t exhaust the soil, adding rich organic matter to the topsoil and helping it retain moisture, requiring very little water. Allied to organic cotton, this yarn results in a very sustainable fibre blend.
BUTTONS LOUROPEL
Buttons produced from the most varied and unexpected materials: ureic compound and corn and wheat flour, granulated cork wastes, vegetable fibres, waste sawdust, recycled polyester resin, recycled hemp fibres, rice husk, recycled paper fibre, recycled polyester resin and recycled cotton fibres.
PICASSO DYEING TINTEX
The project is based on obtaining an alternative process of dyeing that is environmental, social and economically responsible. It consists in the development of coloured textiles using, as dyes, natural compounds obtained from plants. The guiding force of the project is focused on the research and development of eco-sustainable products, favouring the use of natural compounds in the fabric’s colouring.