Radically transforming the unsustainable textile industry with a circular and innovative fabric from used jute bags.
Long description
We believe humanity’s linear view of materials is devastating to our planet. Ephora Solutions changes the way we look at ‘waste’, starting with jute bags used for coffee transportation.
The whole value chain of jute bags is designed for the bag to be used once. Then it’s incinerated or landfilled. There is a ‘waste stream’ of 10 million bags in The Netherlands coming from a variety of agricultural products. These are produced in India, then shipped to, for example, coffee farmers in Brazil where they are filled with coffee and sent to roasters in Europe. Here they are emptied and end up in landfills or furnaces to be burned. Can you imagine the GHG emissions of this journey?
Our USPs are to create a never-before seen jute textile that is innovative, local, low-impact, circular and based on collaboration and transparency. Our proof of principle shows that a nice yarn can be produced using recycled jute, from which we can make beautiful interior products and possibly fashion items. This fabric provides a radical alternative to current, unsustainable textile options. This project responds to the high negative impact of the textile industry on the environment with a truly sustainable alternative. A product of this kind can divert 400,000 jute bags from incineration today, contribute to SDGs 12, 13, 14 and 17, and supports the EU’s New Circular Economy Plan.
If we win this challenge, the funding will be used to upscale our logistics system.
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