Sustainable sportswear is about more than recycled materials. To wow customers, the garments also need to perform well and last longer while creating less waste, as you’ll hear from Irene Díez Ruiz, head of corporate impact at Ecoalf, in conversation with journalist Bianka Morgen (InStyle/freundin).
Ecoalf, founded more than 15 years ago, aims to show that “another kind of fashion is possible”, Díez says. “We realized that the industry of fashion is the second most polluting in the world. And we were asking, ‘Okay, why? What can we do?’”
Ecoalf’s “Upcycling the Oceans” project works with fishermen in Valencia who collect litter from the seabed. The company processes part of this waste into recycled polyester for its sportswear.
Getting the material right is not easy, Díez Ruiz explains, because sportswear requires specific characteristics, such as elasticity, breathability and lightness. “We are very focused on recycled materials, on low-impact materials, but we cannot forget the performance needed for the garment”, she says.
Watch the video to explore this engaging discussion in detail.
