António Moreira Gonçalves
They are young, represent the textile industry’s new generation and want to take an active role in the sustainable transition. Ana Silva Tavares and Daniel Pinto gathered several years of experience in the area and launched We Sustain, a technical consulting service that wants to support manufacturers and fashion brands in the path for responsible production, without falling into the greenwashing trap.
“We Sustain was created because we realized that companies have trouble finding human resources that combine textile experience with a background of environmental sustainability,” explains Ana Tavares, who after several years working as director of the sustainability department at Tintex, now joins forces with Daniel Pinto, Scoop’s director of development and strategy.
“When companies come to us, we make a diagnosis: we try to understand what the company’s position is, single out its goals and see the work that has already been done. Then, we move on to the implementation phase, advising on the necessary certifications and getting involved in innovation projects”, explains Ana Tavares.
After the changes are in place comes the communication work. “We have visited many companies in Portugal that have spectacular work on environmental and social responsibility, water recovery, waste treatment, etc., and none of that is linked with the product they sell”, says the project’s co-founder.
A job where it is necessary to avoid the danger of greenwashing: companies that claim to be sustainable without a real base, or those that already established practices but communicate them in the wrong way.