Brussels, 11.10.2021 – On this week we celebrate two international days spotlighting women: Monday 11 – International Day of the Girl – and Friday 15 – International Day of Rural Women. Both days serve to promote the rights of women and girls as well as to advocate gender equality. According to NGO Remake, 80% of all clothes are made by women aged 18-24. Accordingly, The CircularInnoBooster project and its accelerator CirCoAX join forces to celebrate this week to emancipate all the women and girls across the world that face a number of challenges on a daily basis.
Notwithstanding the increasing empowerment of women in the fashion and textile industry, this sector keeps being led largely by men. Some studies carried out in 2018 pointed out at some causes like the lack of female referents, maternity, and the difficulties owing to reconciliation of family/household life. At CircularInnoBooster, and due to our concern in social innovation, we advocate gender equality as a key element to achieve a truly sustainable and regenerative fashion and textile industry.
The image of women is a key factor which increases inequality. Ahead-of-their-time women like Coco Chanel and Diane von Fürstenberg have been revolutionising the fashion industry and clothing for ages. Through CircularInnoBooster, we support women due to their innovative power, and we consider them to be paramount in greening and turning the fashion and textile sector more social-minded.
On the other hand, the poorest workers in the fashion and textile sector are mainly women who suffer inequality.At CircularInnoBooster, we strive to ensure equal opportunities for women and girls as well as an access to training and education enabling them to be more visible and to receive the credit they deserve. Similarly, we aim to bloom the values of an equal and sustainable society through our mentoring sessions.
CirCoAX calls on all innovative projects in the F&T industry through its acceleration open call – deadline: 27 October – to join forces and stand up for equality and acknowledge the importance of women and girls.
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 obtain 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, 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).
For more information, click on https://iedmadrid.com/.
About Finnova
Finnova is a foundation working to promote and to develop innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit across the EU. Headquartered in Brussels, it works and engages in partnerships in all EU countries. Finnova’s experience in leading communication activities and disseminating European projects is coupled with an extensive expertise in creating enterprises and entrepreneurial support programmes such as accelerators, incubators, and events.
For more information, click on https://web.finnovaregio.org/.
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 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.
For more information, click on https://www.texfor.es/.
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 a number of 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.
For more information, click on https://circulab.com/.
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 and 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 in a wide array of Spanish, European, and Latin American institutions and enterprises.
The Circular Project works with Human Nation 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.
For more information, click on https://thecircularproject.com/ and https://humannation.earth.