In the Impact Hub space (calle de la Alameda, 22), in the outskirts of Madrid's Atocha station, Silvia Toledano (35 years old, Madrid) performs a demonstration of textile magic: how to turn an old polyester T-shirt into other garments, accessories or decorative objects.
“This T-shirt has already fulfilled its function, it has accompanied me on many occasions”, he laughs, “but now, instead of throwing it away, I am going to transform it into a t-shirt, a material that is already sold in balls in any specialized store”, he adds Toledano, founder of Sustainable Maktub, a textile project that seeks to raise awareness about our consumption habits.
Participants in this workshop may walk away with several self-made items.
With the t-shirt you can make everything from dolls, key rings or brooches, to flower pots, rugs or bags.
Original Christmas gifts and much cheaper than buying a new item.
According to a survey by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), each Spaniard will spend 735 euros this Christmas, of which more than half (393 euros) will be to buy gifts.
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Through these types of workshops, Maktub Sostenible also shows the cost of producing new garments and the environmental and social consequences of this voracious form of consumption that promotes the philosophy of using and throwing away.
To put it in perspective, each European buys 26 kilos of clothes a year and gets rid of 11 kilos, according to data from the European Union.
Our clothing consumption has doubled in recent years due to the growth of
fast fashion
, a way of producing that has radically changed the textile industry, promoting lower prices, but also lower quality products.
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According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, fashion has become the second most polluting economic sector in the world.
An example of this is the waste of water: to make a cotton T-shirt, 2,700 liters are needed, the equivalent of what a person drinks in two and a half years, and up to 7,500 liters are required for a pair of jeans.
The large-scale textile industry is also responsible for the contamination of 20% of the world's drinking water, according to the European Parliament, generated by dyes and synthetic materials made from microplastics;
and one tenth of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Do it yourself, repair it yourself
"Fast fashion has made us able to throw away a pair of pants because they have a simple tear, sometimes negligible, to buy another one," says the founder of Maktub Sostenible.
This project seeks to recover the tradition of textile transformation and repair.
"It's about buying less, taking care of and fixing what we already have, as was done before, with a patch, a patch, etc.", adds Toledano.
Sustainable Maktub workshops are adaptable to all kinds of abilities and ages.
"You don't have to know how to sew or have a machine," says Toledano, who highlights the workshops he conducts with children.
“They are the consumers of the future, that is why it is so important that they are aware and responsible in their way of consuming”, he reflects.
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In addition to the proposal to turn shirts into other objects, Maktub Sostenible also organizes other types of workshops —in Impact Hub and in other spaces in Madrid— to learn how to create Christmas decorations or for other events, and discover textile art, showing the character Anthropology of clothing throughout history.
Before buying, check the recyclability of the product
Changing the way you consume also involves being aware of what you are acquiring, as Carolina Carabajal Ruiz (31 years old, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina), founder of the MenosTrash project, which also seeks to create awareness among citizens, explains: “Let us be able to think before buying.
Carabajal emphasizes the need to consume less, bet on those products made with recycled materials and, above all, that can be recycled again.
And he gives an example: “The label on a glass jar must be able to be easily removed because, if not, its recyclability decreases.
We should apply this criterion to anything we buy to guarantee the circularity of our consumption”.
With his MenosTrash project, Carabajal has been investigating the possibilities of textile recycling for two years, especially mixed fibers that, due to their synthetic composition in multifilaments, are more difficult to recycle: “They are waste that complicate the separation of the fibers.
And this type of material is present in a large part of our garments”.
At MenosTrash they have created a type of material, called bioagglomerate, which is made from synthetic textile waste, with which, for example, office supplies such as pen holders, diaries, notebooks, lamps, and even furniture can be manufactured.
Many of these items can be purchased at your store.
Its creator gives workshops for companies and the general public in which she explains the bioagglomerate production process, its possibilities and the importance of sustainability in design.
“The best design is one that seeks durability.
With products that last, we can also encourage more responsible consumption”, points out Carabajal.
Both MenosTrash and Maktub Sostenible will be part of the Mercadillo Circular event with their proposals on recycling and textile consumption, which will take place at the Impact Hub in Madrid on January 28, 2023.
