Regeneration marks the next step in sustainability

Fifteen years ago, Ecoalf redefined the concept of sustainable fashion, combining its commitment to responsible production with timeless, minimalist, and highly desirable designs. Recently, for the second consecutive year, it was recognized as “the most environmentally responsible company in Spain” in the 2023 Merco (Corporate Reputation Business Monitor) ranking, which assessed 53,500 companies. Now that the industry has embraced terms like carbon footprint and traceability, and practices such as the use of recycled materials, where is environmental care in fashion heading? FashionNetwork.com spoke with Carolina Blázquez, the head of innovation and sustainability at the company that turned its motto, “Because there is no planet B,” into a global mantra.

FashionNetwork.com: What sustainability projects is Ecoalf currently working on?

Carolina Blázquez: Sustainability projects are part of the company’s overall strategy. We work on four main fronts: decarbonization, water protection—both through the Ecoalf Foundation for ocean conservation and by using water much more efficiently throughout our value chain—traceability and transparency, because for us, there’s no way to improve if you don’t really know how things are done through data, and circularity.

In this last aspect, we focus on the origin of materials and are working on eco-design to move towards monomaterial products, which currently make up 70% of our collection. We not only use recycled or low-impact materials but also design them so that they can be easily recyclable in the future. And there’s a fifth element we’ve added, which is very holistic and encompasses much of all this, and that is regeneration.

FNW: Indeed, ‘regeneration’ is a trendy term in the sustainability universe, but how does it apply to fashion in general and to the company in particular?

C.B.: In recent years, we have realized that while it’s commendable to minimize the negative environmental impact we generate, the next step is to move from low impact to positive impact. And it is in regeneration where we are currently focusing all our innovation efforts, starting primarily with raw materials.

FNW: How is that commitment to innovation and regeneration being implemented?

C.B.: For example, we are currently working on a project in India where we are connecting many small farmers who are reviving ancestral techniques. Technology is allowing them to come together on a single platform where they can share all their knowledge and best practices.

Regeneration is holistic because it encompasses soil, biodiversity, CO2, water, local communities… the scope is enormous. What we are doing is introducing regeneration into textile fibers. This doesn’t mean that the entire company is currently regenerative, but rather that we are on the path towards regeneration. We are starting, just as we did 15 years ago when we began recycling plastic bottles to make garments.

FNW: What is the first step in this regeneration with textile fibers?

C.B.: Regenerative cotton. The goal is to replace it in the medium to long term with organic cotton and have only recycled and regenerative cotton in the collection. For us, organic cotton has a high impact on land, water, and even communities. On the other hand, recycled cotton has many technical limitations; so how can we make you wear a cotton shirt feeling that you are positively contributing to the planet? Through that regenerative cotton.

When you cultivate and harvest it in a very specific way, understanding the needs of the land, the soil you leave behind is much richer than before planting cotton. That is, you are enriching it. You are not only generating the minimum negative impact.

FNW: With initiatives like these, Ecoalf is paving the way in the industry. How does that responsibility feel?

C.B.: I love looking back and seeing that more companies are coming. Because it will be better for everyone if more companies do what we are doing. The thing is, if we normally say that natural resources are limited, when we talk about regeneration and prioritize the needs of the planet, these resources are much scarcer. Because we are listening to the needs of the Earth and how far it can go. And we have to adapt to that.

FNW: Alongside innovation, legislation is another driver of change for sustainability in fashion, but is the industry ready to comply with the regulations coming into force in the European Union?

C.B.: We talk about different levels of change: consumption, companies, and legislation. And all three must move very fluidly or change will not be possible. If legislation is designed for large companies but SMEs, which make up the majority of Spain’s business fabric, are unable to comply, it won’t be helpful legislation.

That legislation, first and from my point of view, should come with positive discrimination criteria towards all companies that have been trying to do things better for a long time. It’s also important to understand the needs of companies. Because legislation that will force many changes may be unaffordable for a small workshop in, for example, Albacete. However, large companies will find a way to do it.

FNW: From your experience and knowledge of the sector, how do you envision the future of sustainability as we understand it?

C.B.: Technological advances are crucial in the current moment, especially in processes and materials. But, in general, there are two lines that have to coexist. On one hand, there is digitization and technology, which allow us to continue growing in efficiency, processes, in the use of natural resources, even in the use of data. And on the other hand, there is a return to the land, a return to essence, reclaiming all that ancestral part, as we are two or three generations away from being sustainable. What will happen when we return to that essence and connect it with technology? For me, that’s where the magic will happen. And the union of these two worlds is what gives me hope to stop climate change.