The month of January concludes with three key dates for the sustainability of the planet: International Education Day, International Day for Environmental Education and World Day for Action against Global Warming. From its commitment in the textile and fashion sector, the CircularInnoBooster project and its accelerator CirCoAX join the commemoration of these dates highlighting the fundamental role of education in raising awareness and building critical thinking in the face of environmental and social challenges.
Quality education with an environmental basis is a necessary starting point to provide both professionals in the sector and future generations with a solid foundation for the preservation of our environment. For CircularInnoBooster, education is the tool for building social awareness that facilitates a paradigm shift in both producers and consumers in the fashion and textile industry, one of the most polluting industries. Thanks to it, each actor in the sector is encouraged to work together to achieve objectives.
In fashion and the textile sector, the only thing that can be exploited is creativity in order to change the model and combine it in parallel with its best ally, education. This ally is the toolbox for building a sustainable world and transforming the production and consumption model that has made the sector one of the most polluting ones. Thanks to it, each actor will not cease to be indifferent to the need to re-establish a better relationship with their social environment and with the planet, with the clarity of where we are going, where we are going and why we are going there.
We need to bring relevant information from different educational levels about the consequences of our actions on nature, the impacts of climate change and our responsibility to reverse this dramatic situation. Through education, we can help to dismantle the large amount of false news and half-truths that unfortunately prevail today. Only well-educated societies will be able to develop critical thinking capable of identifying the best opportunities in this sustainability roadmap and those that are not.
At CircularInnoBooster, we support universal education that guarantees the sustainability of our planet and forges the foundations of a citizenry committed to protecting the environment. To this end, we work to disseminate quality information related to the textile and fashion industry, and we have launched the #CircuLearn initiative, a collaborative dictionary with the key concepts for understanding the sustainable transformation of the sector, which also complements its content with documentaries, reports and readings.
Agents of change in the fashion and textile industry, this week we remind you that, with a book, a pencil and a piece of paper we have managed to change the world, but also with a thread and a needle we have done it and we can continue to do it.
About COSME
COSME is the programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises by the European Commission’s Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME).
This programme assists SMEs to develop their business models, to receive funds, and to internationalise. This scheme also supports public administrations to enhance the entrepreneurial environment and to facilitate the economic growth of the EU. During the funding period of 2014-2020, this programme allocated €2.3 billion to support SMEs.
About IED
Istituto Europeo di Design is an academic institution working in education, training, and the research of fashion, design, visual communication, and management. IED has offices in Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), Italy (Milan, Rome and five other cities) and Brazil (São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro). IED works in several EU and COSME countries through collaborations and arrangements with institutions, business support organisations, teachers, experts, and mentors. IED has an extensive network of connections in the fashion and textile sector (F&T).
About Finnova Foundation
Finnova is a foundation working to promote and develop innovation and entrepreneurship across the EU. Headquartered in Brussels, it works through collaborations and partnerships across all EU countries. Finnova’s experience in communicating and disseminating European projects is coupled with an extensive and grounded experience in creating businesses and programmes to support enterprises, such as accelerators, incubators, and the selection and organisation of ceremonies and events.
About Texfor
Texfor is a leading textile association in Spain with roughly 400 members. Founded in 2010 and based in Catalonia, Texfor brings together enterprises from the textile value chain, i.e. from weaving to fabrics as well as accessories, textile finishing, printing, and dyeing for the dressmaking industry, textiles for households, and technical and industrial applications. Texfor has an extensive expertise as it has worked in relevant expert committees at an EU level: university and professional training, developing financial capacities, cross-cutting collaboration, fostering RDI, specialised services, and leadership in sustainability focused on the circular economy.
About Circulab
Circulab is a laboratory and design studio specialising in developing transformation methods, tools and programmes to help enterprises adopt circular and sustainable business models. Circulab has designed several tools to implement a circular business model in enterprises. It works in 23 countries – 9 out of them in the EU – and it supports projects via 60 independent entrepreneurial consultants. It applies circular methodologies and tools.
About The Circular Project co-designed with HumanNation
TCP (The Circular Project) favours and promotes a circular and sustainable fashion in different areas, offering the fashion industry a communication strategy based on a cross-cutting and systemic approach of the circular economy. TCP combines social, ethical, environmental, and economic aspects, and has a strong presence as well as connections in the sustainable fashion world. TCP has promoted the Circular Sustainable Fashion Week Madrid, a one-of-a-kind event, and also serves as HQ for the Spanish Association for the Sustainability, Innovation and Circularity in the Fashion Industry. TCP is also ambassador of Sannas (Triple Bottom Line Business Association) and has collaborated with a wide array of Spanish, European, and Latin American institutions and enterprises.
The Circular Project works with HumanNation to co-design and develop CirCoAX. HumanNation is a consultancy enterprise specialising in the development of transformative and disruptive ecosystems of innovation and companies for the ‘new economy’. It is based on the fourth economic sector, the systemic thinking, and co-creation. It raises awareness in organisations and ecosystems to respect the planetary boundaries and the social fabric, creating resilient local economies with a global perspective.