In a uniquely sustainable project, the Fiber Center has established the production of rugs in Northern Bangladesh using locally-sourced cotton clippings. The clippings are a waste product left over from production in two nearby Oeko-Tex 100 certified factories. After collection from the factories, the clippings are woven into rag rugs by local workers using traditional techniques. Every unit is audited to ensure it meets international standards. The units offer a safe, comfortable working environment for workers. The decentralized locations allow all workers to stay close to their families while improving their livelihood. The results are functional, unique and sustainable rugs for the international mass market. They are ecologically sustainable, since the source materials used are waste products that are repurposed without further high-energy manufacturing – the discarded material being upcycled. This is an exceptional contribution to circularity. The rag rugs are also economically sustainable, since production costs are low without being exploitative. The business model is based on direct sales and while the functional designs appeal to the mass-market, each rug has its own unique character and a story about the fabric‘s origins. Lastly, the rugs are ethically correct, since all workers are treated fairly, work in safe production environments and earn a decent living wage without being forced to leave their homes and families.
The sustainable shopping bags are made of post-consumer waste, namely discarded institutional products. The products are collected from hotels and airlines, which ensures that the origin and quality of the materials are known. After collection, the products are sent to Bangladesh for recycling. There, it is cut and either left in its original colour, dyed or printed and sewn into functional shopping bags for export according to the customers desires. Alternatively, the products can be used to make shoe bags. The shopping bags are a highly sustainable product, that contributes to the circular economy in several ways. On the one hand, producing them does not require extraction of new materials, as they are made of 100% recycled material. What's more, the recycling process is low energy and low emission, as our recycling facility uses sustainable energy sources.
Any cut waste generated from this process is collected and used as material in rags made from cotton rags. No material goes to waste. This way, the bags contribute to circularity by recycling fabric directly, which saves energy otherwise lost in spinning and weaving processes, as well as not leaving any waste product behind. The production is socially sustainable thanks to decent working conditions, living wages and job creation in a decentralised region of Bangladesh. Lastly, the function of the bag itself encourages consumers to act and shop responsibly, as they are a reusable alternative to single-use plastic bags.
Kitchen towels made of banana fiber and organic cotton offer a sustainable alternative to conventional kitchen towels. Integrating highly sustainable banana fiber optimised by the Fiber Center and blending it with cotton results in a natural, highly-absorbent kitchen towel that fits into every kind of household. The towel can be dyed or printed in any way desired to create a modern kitchen towel that meets the requirements of consumers in functionality, design and sustainability. On top of that, its journey can be traced along the entire supply chain.