Every 5 and 8 June, the United Nations celebrates World Environment Day and World Oceans Day, respectively, with the aim of promoting environmental outreach activities. In 2022, under the slogan “One Earth” – used in the first Stockholm Conference – the date takes up this milestone that marked the beginning of the global agenda for the environment. In this context, CircularInnoBooster project joined the celebration with a photo contest among the #CirCoAX30, exhibiting on social networks photos with inspiring messages that put the protection of the environment at the centre through sustainable, circular, and regenerative initiatives.

The fashion and textile sector faces the challenge of changing from a linear to a circular model to respect the planetary limits. As highly polluting industries that depend on our lifestyle, they have the potential for transformation in different areas: production, design, communication, education, manufacturing, and social innovation. According to the United Nations, 67% of greenhouse gas emissions are associated with our lifestyles, so the sector can act by raising awareness through campaigns to reconnect with nature.

For CirCoAX it is important to inspire its entrepreneurs and help them on their way to transforming the fashion and textile sector. This is the third month of an acceleration programme that impacts 30 consortia committed to innovation and sustainability, developing more ecological and environmentally friendly models. CircularInnoBooster is aware of the United Nations’ call to this “Restoration Generation” whose mission is to reconcile with nature.

On World Oceans Day, we must recognise that the oceans produce 50% of the planet’s oxygen. For this reason, we need everyone’s support to drive a green transformation. The challenge for the textile and fashion sector is terrific, according to reports from the European Environment Agency around 8% of the microplastics in the oceans come from synthetic textiles globally and between 200,000 and 500,000 tonnes of microplastics of textile origin enter the world’s marine environment every year. Furthermore, it is worth noting that most of these microplastics come from those released by textiles when they are first washed and from fast fashion.

The winning project of the photo contest was REAWAKEN, whose landscapes of La Cantera in Lanzarote and Los Gigantes Tenerife mixed with verses inspired our community this week. The aim of this project is also aligned with photography and video as key tools to document and create a story of ancient textile pieces, following their journey through time and their changes through co-creations and redesign. If you want to see all the photos of our CirCoAX30 participants in this contest, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. In the next competition you will be the jury and vote for these inspiring projects that will give a 360º turn to the social, environmental, and economic issues facing the fashion and textile sector.

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. 

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