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According to the UN Environment Programme[1], the clothing and textile industry is responsible for around 10% of the world’s GHG emissions and 20% of global wastewater. Making a shift towards an ecological fashion system
is a priority in the fight against climate change. These startups are working on much needed, innovative ways to reduce emissions in the sector.

Eutopia
– the AI platform to access information about thousands of green startups in Europe – is once again excited to share with the readers of talenteco a selection of some of the most promising green startups developing solutions for a more sustainable fashion.

Check them out!

Alternative fabrics

According to a famous NGO, most garments are made of polyester, which more than being polluting, is non-biodegradable, taking decades to degrade[2]. One way to reduce the environmental impact of fashion is to start producing more sustainable materials. Have a look at these startups active in this space!

Fairbrics
makes sustainable fabrics out of thin air by using CO2 waste to manufacture virgin synthetic fabrics instead of using fossil resources. Supported by Climate-KIC and Station F, this innovative French startup already summed quite a few awards and recognition. Fairbrics won the 2020 H&M Global Challenge Award and has collaborated with H&M to develop the world’s first carbon-negative polyester fibres.

Founded in 2019, headquartered in the France, 1 – 10 employees

Treetotextile
offers a technology to manufacture a sustainable man-made cellulosic
textile fiber.

In an effort to create a more sustainable and cost efficient fiber, H&M group, Inter IKEA group, Stora Enso, and LSCS Invest joined forces to create TreeToTextile. Early this year TreeToTextile invested €35M to
construct a demonstration plant, a big step towards commercialising sustainable fibers with scalable technology.

Founded in 2014, headquartered in Sweden, 1 – 10 employees

Orange Fiber
developed a patented technology that extracts high quality cellulose from citrus juice leftovers and uses it to feed cellulose fiber production lines. The Italian startup has raised over €1M thanks to a mix of investments.

Orange Fiber also concluded a successful equity crowdfunding campaign which helped to increase its production capacity and meet demands of fashion brands.

Founded in 2014, headquartered in Italy, 1 – 10 employees

Circular Economy

According to the European Commission, 5.8 million tonnes of textiles are discarded every year in the EU and only a quarter ends up being recycled [3]. The Friends of Earth Europe adds that the remaining 4.3 million are
dumped. The following startups found ways to contradict this unsustainable trend and make fashion more circular, take a look!

Resortecs
developed a dissolvable stitching thread intended for easy repair and recycling of garments.

With a patented thermal disassembly solution that allows to recycle up to 90% of the original fabric material, Resortecs is already allowing 1 tonne of clothing to be recycled each day. The award winning startup is currently
preparing to raise €4M to finance the construction of a continuous oven for the disassembly of clothing.

Founded in 2017, headquartered in the Belgium, 1 – 10 employees

Vividye
developed a technology that makes it possible to apply all sorts of colors and designs to textiles, which can later be removed to re-apply new ones.

With recognition from StartUs Insights and featured in the Net-Zero Compatible Initiative list, the Swedish startup aims to optimize the use of resources in textile sourcing and production. Vividye’s innovation reduces
water consumption and the release of chemicals into the environment.

Founded in 2020, headquartered in Sweden, 1 – 10 employees

Continued Fashion
offers a platform for circular fashion through which brands can facilitate take back and resell of products more than once.

The startup offers a software solution and a logistic set-up that enables brands to offer circular retail models. The platform currently offers two models, either Rental or Peer 2 Peer Resale.

Founded in 2018, headquartered in Denmark, 1 – 10 employees

Nazena
gives new life to industrial textile waste and worn-out clothes by turning them into sustainable, circular products.

The Italian startup collects post-industrial and post-consumption textile scrap and with every 1kg of recovered fabrics is able to not emit 3.76kg of CO2. In May, Nazena was selected for the Global Startup Program which will
help it increase its professionalism and competitiveness in the international market.

Founded in 2019, headquartered in Italy, 1 – 10 employees

Consumer choice

For the consumers that want to make a shift to sustainable fashion, there needs to be easily accessible tools that allow them to explore different alternatives. The following startups aid their users to make a more
sustainable choice.

Renoon
developed a search platform that allows conscious shoppers to find fashion among sustainable options available online.

With more than 1M products from over 200 sustainable brands, Amsterdam’s Renoon recently announced it has raised $1M in funding from various investors including 500 Global.


Founded in 2020, headquartered in the Netherlands, 11 – 50 employees

The Good Us
developed a sustainability scoring tool that helps customers differentiate between sustainable fashion and fast fashion.

Together with University College London, The Good Us developed an algorithm that estimates the sustainability impact of clothes. The tool is currently available in the UK and works on websites such as Amazon and Asos.

Founded in 2019, headquartered in the United Kingdom, 1 – 10 employees

Eco Change
developed a platform that mixes science, AI and user experience to automate Life Cycle Assessment calculation.

Part of the Startupbootcamp community, the data-driven startup is working to set new transparency standards in the fashion industry. Eco Change recently pivoted from a B2C marketplace model to a B2B and affiliate model
resulting in a speed-up in conversion rates.


Founded in 2020, headquartered in the Netherlands, 1 – 10 employees

Hope you found our selection of sustainable fashion innovations insightful – looking forward to the next climate tech insights!

References:

[1] https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/09/23/costo-moda-medio-ambiente

[2] https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/6956/what-are-microfibers-and-why-are-our-clothes-polluting-the-oceans/

[3] https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/horizon-magazine/latest-trend-keeps-clothes-out-landfill