On October 23, 2024, the event "Digital and Innovation Solutions in the Latin American Textile Ecosystem and Their Relation to the Circular Economy Strategy Proposal for Textiles" took place. It was organized by Cadenas de Valor Sustentables, with support from the Ministry of the Environment, Mujeres Empresarias, Corfo, Fundación Basura y Ropantic.
"The purpose of this event was to spark interest among stakeholders in the textile value chain in digital and innovative solutions as an alternative to facilitate the transition to a circular economy"
The purpose of this event was to spark interest among stakeholders in the textile value chain in digital and innovative solutions as an alternative to facilitate the transition to a circular economy. This initiative was inspired by the co-construction exercise of the Strategy for Circular Economy in Textile in Chile, where Cadenas de Valor Sustentables facilitated the participatory process, formulation, and development of the project for the Ministry of the Environment. It is worth mentioning that the systematization of the participatory process was supported by the Life Sciences Department of Andrés Bello University.
A session that included the participation of 41 representatives from the public and private sectors, academia, and textile industry brands, among others. There were five presentations by prominent national and international speakers, as well as a showcase of the Atacama Desert Textile Exhibition and garment upcycling through an auction led by Fundación Basura, with support from Ropantic. At the end of the event, the auctioned garments were handed over.
First Session: Circular Economy Strategy Proposal for Textiles
The first session focused on presenting the Circular Economy Strategy for Textiles, led by Bárbara Peñafiel, who has been a professional in the Legislative Implementation and Circular Economy Office at the Ministry of the Environment since 2022. In this role, she leads the development of the Circular Economy Strategy for Textiles and the drafting of regulations for the Single-Use Plastics Law. She is also part of the team responsible for the regulatory development and implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility Law.
It is worth noting that the event took place on the same day that the public consultation period for the draft concluded, symbolizing the participatory process led by CAV+S.
In her presentation, the key pillars of the strategy, which align with the 2040 Circular Economy roadmap, were highlighted. The vision of the strategy, collaboratively created through various workshops held across the country, was also shared.
Second Session: International
The second session was led by international speakers. In a global context where the challenge of transforming the textile industry toward circularity and sustainability is more urgent than ever, international speakers were invited to present virtually.
The first presentation in this session was given by Peter Förster, on the Textile EPR Pilot in Colombia. Who joined from COP 16 in Colombia. Peter is part of the Circular Economy Focal Point for Germany Cooperation – GIZ in Colombia and serves as the Director of the Sustainable Use and Efficient Resource Management Project (ProUSAR).
Renova Moda is the voluntary EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) pilot project intended to serve as input for the creation of the first post-consumer textile management program in Colombia under an EPR scheme. The main challenges encountered have been:
Defining a regulatory framework that enables the transition to a circular economy in the sector, including financing mechanisms with EPR.
Building capacity within the management chain (sorting, secondhand sales models, donation, T2T recycling).
Securing commitment from potential producer companies, including economic contributions to ensure program funding.
Establishing an official information system for the standardized registration of textile circularity data.
The second presentation in this session was delivered by Ester Xicota, on the Situation of SMEs in the New Context.
Ester is an international consultant with over 15 years of experience in sustainability strategy and marketing, with a special focus on the textile and fashion industry. She is also a co-founder of the Sustainable Fashion Association of Peru.
The presentation highlighted best practices such as:
The transfer of due diligence responsibility, where a continuous cooperation mechanism is established to identify, mitigate, and remedy adverse impacts, ensuring fair commercial terms and supporting the improvement of management practices.
The transfer of repair responsibilities, where there is a fair distribution of responsibilities and costs, with financial and technical support so that the burden does not fall solely on the suppliers.
Contract termination conditions, where the immediate termination of contracts or zero-tolerance policies should be avoided. Instead, it is encouraged to focus on remediating problems and collaborating on corrective actions.
Third Session: National
The third session was led by national speakers and took place in person, featuring visionary professionals who not only lead innovation but are also paving the way toward a more sustainable and efficient textile future.
Innovative solutions are presented as a unique opportunity to revolutionize our processes, from production to consumption and end-of-life disposal. This panel not only invites us to imagine that future but also allows us to learn, firsthand, about the tools and strategies that are already being successfully implemented.
Sortile - A technological solution for textile recycling that provides the textile industry with a system for the identification, traceability, and recycling of textiles. Sortile offers:
Training in sorting and pre-processing for textile recycling
Installation of sorting technology
Traceability tools and impact metrics
Transaction intermediary services
Circula.Metrics – A technological solution that reduces the risks of greenwashing in products, prevents social and environmental malpractice in the value chain, through analysis and validation of the products brought to market, with a focus on textiles. Circulametrics enables decision-making and risk management for brands, allowing them to monitor their products through analytical dashboards and real-time analysis.
Futureal - The value of the intangible, process optimization, and creation of experiences. Digital fashion is a new way to create, dress, and express oneself.
Digital fashion allows for iteration in the design process and material selection, without generating waste from physical textile resources, creating expressive garments that do not wear out and can be reused infinitely in virtual contexts.
At the end of each presentation, an exercise was introduced to link each initiative and its (theoretical) impact on the goals of the strategy. This exercise, along with the presentations, can be viewed at the following link: Supplementary Materials.
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