New garments are made from the plastic of the oceans. The
new fabric of A. Sampaio & Filhos proves that the Circular Economy
is not only the future, it is already the present of the textile
industry.
More than sustainable, the new project of A.Sampaio & Filhos is a purely circular economy. It
is in the garbage from the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea that
the company finds the raw material to produce the Baselayer Seaqual
mesh, which is already beginning to be applied in the clothing industry.
With
this new product the company located in Santo Tirso - Portugal presents not only a new
alternative to the market, but also contributes to the cleaning of the
oceans. The flow of waste into the bottom of the oceans is a growing concern for environmentalists. It is estimated that 8 million tonnes of waste are dumped annually and that about 75% of this waste is deposited in the bottom.
A.Sampaio´s proposal is to recycle this garbage and transform it into new garments. Each pound of Seaqual filament corresponds to one pound of plastic that was deposited at the bottom of the sea. The
waste is gathered by Spanish fishermen and then the filament is
developed abroad, until it can be integrated into A.Sampaio´s meshes. The company ensures that the entire supply process is controlled.
Miguel
Mendes, commercial manager of A.Sampaio & Filhos, says that
sustainability has been a concern of the company for several years. When they became aware of this new technology, they decided to incorporate it and start producing parts with this filament. "Baselayer
stands out because it has the highest percentage of filaments, 40% of
seaqual polyester and 60% of organic cotton, but we also develop
solutions tailored to the customer," he explains.
At
a time when the circular economy is affirming itself as a trend of the
future, and as more and more consumers demonstrate environmental
concerns, it is no wonder that this solution is rapidly gaining
momentum. "It
has had a lot of acceptance, especially for outdoor brands, which are
more open to this idea, but also in sports clothing such as crossfit,
for example," explains Miguel Mendes.
Decided
to invest in the circular economy, the portuguese company, which
currently employs around 200 people, promises to continue to invest in
new sustainable solutions and claims to have more sustainable mesh
projects to present in the market.
Source: Jornal T
