Less than 1% of the clothes we use are recycled into new garments, which ends up generating a high amount of textile waste that significantly harms our planet. The blame for this shocking figure lies with the mass and environmentally unfriendly production of large brands, but also with the rise of consumerism in much of the world and the lack of recycling services.
The problem is exacerbated in the case of workwear. Almost a third of the active population in Spain wears some type of uniform. This type of textile is even more difficult to reuse in the manufacture of other garments due to the presence of the corporate logo or the composition of the piece itself, made in most cases from polluting materials.
All of this ends up creating a breeding ground that greatly hinders the circularity of clothing, that is, its ability to be reused in other garments to reduce the negative impact it generates on the environment. The UN already warned in 2018 that the textile industry was the second most polluting in the world and that, if no measures were taken, it could represent a quarter of the global carbon budget by 2050.
For all these reasons, and aware of the rise in environmental awareness that our society has experienced in recent years, Celina Tamagnini and Luís Ribó founded Circoolar in Barcelona at the end of 2019, a company dedicated to the design and commercialization of sustainable workwear. In two years of existence, it has added ISDIN, Uriach, Sorigué, and Consum as clients. The entity has also signed a collaboration agreement with the Gremi d'Hotels de Barcelona and the Association of Sustainable Restaurants, through which it offers its products to companies that are part of both groups and helps raise awareness among its members by offering courses on sustainability.
Its formula is based on offering all kinds of sustainable corporate clothing, from uniforms to merchandising or masks. Circoolar manufactures the pieces with ecological materials ---made from waste, organic fabrics or textile surpluses--- and local ---91% of the raw material they use is of national origin---. All, with the aim of generating the minimum possible waste in its production, so that its pieces can then be converted into new ones. This is what its founders call "circular clothing". The useful life of the garments is a year and a half, although this estimate is subject to many factors, such as the type of work in which it is used.
The production of small orders is carried out by the social workshops of the Ared Foundation ---which focuses on people at risk of social exclusion---, the Roure Foundation ---dedicated to the elderly and families--- and Vayatela Taller ---a women's cooperative from Murcia---. 10% of Circoolar's profits go to all of them. For larger productions, they work with entities in Portugal and Morocco. Tamagnini and Ribó also offer their clients the possibility of bringing them their old work uniforms so that they can be converted into felt, a material with which they make merchandising products.
Circoolar started two years ago with 30,000 euros of its own capital. In July 2020, they made an investment round of 200,000 euros. That year they sold more than 30,000 units and closed the year with a turnover of 156,000 euros. This 2021 they expect to repeat the same revenue figure.
They look to the future with hope, knowing that the sustainability factor is increasingly important for society, and therefore for companies. "Luckily, terms like circularity are beginning to be part of the everyday vocabulary of more and more companies that wish to be part of the circle and generate a positive impact on their environment," says Ribó. "At Circoolar we convert a problem into a solution that will have a positive impact for the planet and also on the stakeholders of companies that opt for this sustainable branding solution," he summarizes.