Brussels, 1.11.2021 – The most important international summit – COP26 – has kicked off today, and our project CircularInnoBooster and its accelerator, CirCoAX, will take part in it to discuss state-of-the-art solutions to re-invent a respectful fashion and textile with the planet boundaries and which includes a social, environmental, and economic sustainability approach.
This United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties is the most remarkable milestone in addressing climate change. Throughout the upcoming 12 days, leaders from all around the global will discuss the challenges we must face and the most state-of-the-art answers to solve the most threatening crisis of all times – climate change. According to the last IPCC report issued in 2021, this crisis has been caused by human action (anthropogenic) and has triggered an unprecedented set of changes which translate into an increasing number of natural disasters. Our goal is thus to act straight away. The COSME project entitled ‘CircularInnoBooster’ will take part in one of the many side events that will be held during the official days of the summit to discuss solutions, shortcomings and opportunities to prompt a shift in the textile and fashion industry.
Hence, the ‘Next Generation EU Startup Europe Awards (SEUA) for Circular and Disruptive Solutions in Textiles’ event will be held on next Saturday 6 November – International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment – at 18:30 CET. This event, which is led by Finnova Foundation along with non-profit organisation and network Zero Waste Scotland, will be held in a hybrid format, as there will be panelists speaking from the La Palma island and online speakers from around the world. Institutional representatives from La Palma (namely María Nieves Rosa Jesús Arroyo Díaz, 5th Vice-chair and Board Member at the La Palma Department for Security, Citizen Participation, Services, Environment and Climate Change, and Antonio Fernández, President of the Scientific Board of the World Biosphere Reserve in La Palma) as well as experts on textiles and fashion from Latin America the EU and Scotland will discuss new models and processes which may enable to meet the SDGs under the 2030 Agenda mainly to attain a circular and regenerative economy.
The discussion panel will seek to put forward the most topical ideas to cooperate and to support alternative models to wrap up the value chain of the textile and fashion industry. Aside from CircularInnoBooster, the spotlight will be given to innovation, to clusters like NextextileGeneration and to the initiatives which promote public-private partnerships. Additionally, the Nextextile Startup Europe Awards Special Edition will be delivered within the framework of the regeneration of the La Palma island in the wake of the volcano eruption and the aftermath caused by lava.
COP26 will provide an unparalleled opportunity to think and to create a roadmap toward sustainability by drawing on the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal and by taking advantage of EU funding facilities like Next Generation. The dissemination of these mechanisms remains crucial as according to the last report by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Sigma 2, 60% of Spanish enterprises do not know Next Generation funds exist. In this sense, CircularInnoBooster and its acceleration programme CircoAX will contribute to this strategic vision for a sustainable future by prompting a change in paradigms and establishing the basis for a circular economy which respects the planet boundaries and which stands up for biodiversity
CirCoAX calls on all innovative projects to join our event on 6 Nov. to find out innovative projects and initiatives prompting a sustainable change in the fashion and textile industry.
Register here.
About COP26
Created by the United Nations 30 years ago, the COP26 is the most important international forum to address climate change. The 2021 edition will host on-site and online events from 31 October to 12 November in Glasgow and Brussels, and they will focus on engaging in new commitments to contain temperature rise to 1.5 degrees this century. This goal will only be met provided that global emissions are halved by 2030 and net-zero emissions are achieved by 2050.
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).
About Finnova
Finnova es una fundación que trabaja para la promoción y el desarrollo de la innovación y el espíritu empresarial a nivel de la UE. Con sede en Bruselas, opera a través de colaboraciones y asociaciones en todos los países de la Unión Europea. La experiencia de Finnova liderando actividades de comunicación y difusión de proyectos europeos se combina con una sólida experiencia probada en la creación de empresas y programas de apoyo empresarial, como aceleradoras, incubadoras y selección y adjudicación de eventos ceremoniales.
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 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.
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.
