Impactful partnerships require shared values
Ten years ago Monique Maissan, the founder of Waste2Wear, was alarmed by the first news articles that told stories about plastic pollution. Being a textile engineer and concerned about our planet and oceans, she committed herself to further develop the technology to create fashion fabrics out of plastic waste.
Maissan managed to create a network of factories brave enough to start this venture with her, to recycle plastic into fancy textiles. Together they pulled it off. A year later, the first garments made out of post-consumer plastic bottles were a fact. Right from the start, Waste2Wear has been a company that is built around collaboration and partnerships.
“Over the years, we’ve learned that the right partners for us to work with, are companies who share our values. We believe in taking responsibility for our planet, oceans and people in the communities where we operate. We’re therefore proud to work with Starboard, who continuously strives to make a positive impact in the world.” – Waste2Wear.
Driven by customer needs and innovation
Nowadays, we also see society and governments are demanding companies to take responsibility for the planet and people. Companies are pressured to ensure their supply chain is as sustainable as they say and are asked to communicate about it to the public and other stakeholders. Through experience, we know it can be a challenge for companies to really know whether their rPET textiles are really created out of plastic waste. This is where we wanted to add value for our customers.
Based on Waste2Wear’s learnings of the Ocean Plastic Project in 2018, Waste2Wear managed to set up a fully transparent supply chain using blockchain technology. This allows brands to track their recycled Waste2Wear textiles all the way back to their source. In the textiles recycling industry, Waste2Wear were the first to offer this to companies like Starboard.
Future vision
Although Waste2Wear have started out with recycling plastic waste bottles into fashion fabrics, they’re now entering other industries. You can think of interior design and construction. They’re also no longer only recycling plastic waste bottles, but also turn other types of plastic into textiles. In the next ten years, Waste2Wear believe sustainability can no longer be ignored. It is their goal to ‘catch this wave’ and replace all virgin polyester with recycled qualities within a responsible, traceable and measurable value chain. They’re able to do this because of their trusted network of knowledgable partners and reliable suppliers, including a dynamic circle of waste collectors, NGO’s, governments and many more.
Shifting the linear textile and fashion industry to be more sustainable and circular, is a huge task. Sharing knowledge and collaborating with like-minded partners such as Starboard is therefore essential. Together we can realise the circular innovations needed to make fashion and textile a force for good.
Article written by: Niccy Kol, Brand & Marketing Director of Waste2Wear.
Read more about our bags on the Starboard SUP website.
