The brand Tenerife Sustainable Fashion born under the protection of the area of Employment of the Tenerife Council as “an insular collective commitment in the commitment to recycling and the reuse in it textile sector», in the words of the president of the corporation, Rosa Davila, at the presentation event held this Tuesday. The seal, according to the arguments developed in the Noble Hall of the Insular Palace, will be key to strengthening the recycling industry, the sector in general, and design in particular. In addition to Dávila, the Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability and Security and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez; that of Employment and Education, Efraín Medina, and the insular director of Waste, Alejandro Molowny.
A step forward
Rosa Dávila explained that “Tenerife Moda Sostenible represents a step forward in this collective commitment to recycling, reuse and the second life of the textile field.” She added in this regard that “environmental protection is a commitment for us and we want to take it to all areas of the Cabildo.” The presentation of this brand is for the president “an example of this transversal collaboration of the areas of Employment, Education and Youth and Natural Environment, Sustainability and Security and Emergencies. Dávila considers that “Tenerife Sustainable Fashion puts the Island at the forefront of the design and sustainability sector.” He insisted on an idea: «We want to give a second life to garments and be able to reuse; For that it is also necessary to promote the talent we have in Tenerife and promote innovation.
The three r’
Blanca Pérez indicated that “the treatment of waste is a fundamental issue and we work with all areas to implement measures focused on reducing, reusing and recycling it.” She stressed: “We have to try to turn the waste generated into resources and that is what is going to be done with Tenerife Sustainable Fashion.” Efraín Medina explained that the Tenerife Moda 2024-2027 Strategic Plan is based on three fundamental pillars: excellence in design and production; development of local talent and sustainability and international projection. Regarding sustainability, he pointed out that “the fashion industry faces numerous challenges and it is essential to address them to achieve sustainable development goals and move towards a circular economy.”
New life to clothes
Medina stressed that, “through textile recycling, clothing will be given a new life.” Furthermore, he stressed that it is “an opportunity to develop sustainable fashion with recovered textiles and production surpluses and an industry that is committed to reuse, recycling and new technologies will be generated.” The counselor concluded: “Ultimately, it is about promoting care for the environment, people and the fashion and textile sector of Tenerife.” He announced that this year there will be a line of subsidies within the new project so that textile companies can manufacture in an environmentally friendly way, in addition to being able to hire personnel. You will also have a good practices guide. Medina advanced incentives to promote research and development of technologies that reduce environmental impact.
University
Alejandro Molowny indicated that “it is important to work transversally on sustainability projects.” He pointed out that it is “a firm commitment in which the university community is also involved.” Specifically, the University of La Laguna (ULL) whose vice-rector for Sustainability and Infrastructure, Candela Díaz, was present yesterday in the Noble Hall. Molowny valued that “the innovation part is also important, as well as the local textile industry. For us it is an exciting project to be able to work on that second life of clothing.
The process
The actions of Tenerife Sustainable Fashion take the form of promoting the use of materials that have a lower environmental impact and reduce dependence on non-renewable resources, as well as promoting the reuse of clothing through donations, exchange, selective collection and second-hand sale. It proposes the design of garments that are easy to disassemble and recycle to give the textile a second life. Tenerife Sustainable Fashion will be present at various events during the course. For example, at the II Tenerife + Sostenible Forum on the 25th at the Higher School of Engineering and Technology of the ULL. The meeting takes up a model towards the circular economy and will address reuse as the main vector in waste management. On the other hand, the new label will be at the IV Sustainable Fashion Week at the end of April.
Social responsability
Efraín Medina highlighted an initiative that even seeks to get ahead of European regulations in terms of social responsibility and ethics. This is one of the reasons for the upcoming trip to Rotterdam (Netherlands) of two representatives of the Insular Foundation for Training, Employment and Business Development (Fifede). The president stressed that the Council will promote innovation in the circular economy and the promotion of local, kilometer 0 products, to eliminate the carbon footprint. They announced that they will place emphasis on avoiding excessive consumption and waste, in addition to using sustainable materials, education and awareness campaigns, transparency and labeling.
