As a clothing brand, Acapella is well aware that fashion's harmful impact on the environment cannot be ignored. We must always take care of our planet, and with the current alarming state of the environment according to endless studies and statistics, we know that it is urgent that brands and consumers alike adapt sustainable fashion practices .
What is fast fashion or fast fashion?
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting on the planet, due to fast fashion , known as fast fashion. Fast fashion refers to the business model of replicating the latest runway trends and high fashion designs in an accelerated manner in large numbers and at low cost. This results in the production of many clothing collections and millions of designs in a short time, also made with low quality materials. Additionally, the production of these garments is carried out in countries with terrible working and exploitation conditions .
In addition to unethical working conditions, this model of clothing consumption and production has generated a serious environmental problem, since it is related to the excessive use of natural resources and pollution of the planet. According to the UN Environment Program , the fashion industry is the second largest consumer of water and is responsible for 8-10% of CO 2 emissions , the equivalent of what the European Union releases alone. . Another result of fast fashion is the vast accumulation of tons and tons of discarded clothing and textile waste , as the vast majority of clothing is thrown away rather than donated or recycled. Most of these discarded fabrics are not organic or natural, taking thousands of years to decompose.
To combat fast fashion, the concept of slow fashion or slow fashion arose, which consists of buying less, but buying better – good quality clothing, made with good materials that make a durable garment.
Some characteristics of a slow fashion brand include:
- Garments made with high quality sustainable materials
- Garments of local origin, production and sale
- Garments are more timeless
- Few styles per collection
- Few collections per year, and permanent collections
- Garments are often made to order to reduce unnecessary production
Another sustainable alternative to combat fast fashion with second-hand shopping, better known as thrift shopping . But something that really helps combat the environmental impact of fashion by clothing brands is textile recycling.
The benefits of textile recycling
Textile recycling is the method of reusing or reprocessing used clothing, fibrous material and clothing remains from the manufacturing process. In other words, it is using recycled fabric to make new garments, and this has great benefits:
- Reduces waste of clothing and textile waste
- Save landfill space
- conserve energy
- Reduces greenhouse gases
- Reduces pollution of the planet and environmental damage
- Help preserve the environment
The Second Life Project by Acapella
With the great benefits of textile recycling, Acapella is proud to join the cause to promote sustainable fashion and help the planet one shirt at a time with The Second Life Project .
Acapella invites you to bring your new, old, or used shirts to any Acapella store to give them a second life. With the fiber from these shirts and recycled plastic, we create new thread to make 100% recycled shirts. In addition, the shirts that cannot be recycled are donated to people who need them. And it gets better: for every shirt donated, we subtract $50 MXN from your next purchase at Acapella. With this initiative, we hope to promote a sustainable lifestyle through textile recycling.
The Second Life Project was launched last year, along with an Instagram account ( @the____2nd____life ) with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of sustainability in the fashion industry. Currently at Acapella we are very excited about the next step in The Second Life Project : the launch of a new collection made of recycled t-shirts and textiles, available soon.