The clothing industry, one of the top polluting industries on the planet, has multiple negative impacts on the environment. These include intensive water and energy consumption as well as water, soil and air pollution from dyeing and finishing processes.
More and more, consumers are seeking alternative, sustainable or even circular options with a reduced impact on the environment.
As raw and manufactured products flood the market from all over the world, it can be difficult for stakeholders to make informed choices.
This situation creates a market opportunity and a responsibility for European clothing companies. One of the most effective ways to reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry is shortening the supply chain. This process, known as nearshoring, connects manufacturers with sustainable suppliers close to home.
Supported by the Enterprise Europe Network, the collaboration between Dutch circularity platform Manufy and Portuguese aggregator re.store bridges the gap between manufacturers and suppliers, placing sustainability and ethical choices in the fashion industry in the spotlight.
A fashion-forward platform
Leveraging the versatility of the e-commerce environment, Manufy offers a much-needed platform to connect circular textile providers with clothing and accessory brands that want to produce ethical and sustainable products. As a business to business (B2B) platform, Manufy gives fashion brands access to a network of solution providers and offers consultancy services to help companies move forward on the journey to sustainable and circular business models.
Manufy meets clients where they are, whether they are launching a new sustainable product line or integrating the principles of circularity into existing projects. Through a needs assessment based on legislation, profitability and impact calculations, Manufy helps clients create a roadmap to a sustainable business future.
Founded in 2020, Manufy is dedicated to accelerating the transition to circularity and sustainability in the fashion industry. Company representative Ruben Petit shared: "What started out as a solution for European brands to find more sustainable production in Europe as opposed to Asia has now evolved into a circularity platform where we help brands implement circular strategies and solutions for their brand."
Currently, Manufy hosts over 300 brands and 50 manufacturers who can locate one another and connect through the platform every day. Building on their success, Manufy has partnered with the Green Branch to invest in the planet’s wellbeing by offsetting emissions from textile production and transportation.
Sustainable and socially inclusive textiles
A recent addition to the Manufy portfolio is Portuguese circularity provider Essential Together, Lda. Overseeing the re.store textile brand, Essential Together, Lda manufactures a variety of textile products including bags, pet accessories and cushions. The company’s mission prioritises both social and environmental innovation with the goal of changing current consumer habits.
Concentrating on waste and leftovers in the Portuguese textile industry, re.store has managed to pay EUR 60 000 to social partners and upcycle 7.1 tonnes of textiles in less than 4 years. Company founder Silvia Correia shared: "I believe in a circular fashion economy, in which we shift our approach from the traditional linear model to a system where products are designed with the intention of being recycled, upcycled or biodegraded at the end of their life cycle. Brands must increasingly explore ways to close the loop in fashion by creating garments and other textiles from recycled and upcycled materials, designing for durability and repairability, and establishing take-back programmes for used clothing."
Correia added: "If, in addition, we can promote social inclusion by valuing and paying for the work of people that are often denied a chance to prove their capabilities, such as refugees and social institution patients and so many more, then we will accomplish a socially and eco-responsible textile approach."
High-tech matchmaking for textile industries
Manufy and Essential Together, Lda began their collaboration in September 2023 at the first international textile and fashion B2B matchmaking event, Hi-Tech-TEX. This event was organised by the Portuguese partner of the Enterprise Europe Network consortium in Portugal, AEP (Portuguese Business Association, Chamber of Commerce and Industry), CITEVE (the Technological Centre for the Textile and Clothing Industry of Portugal), the Portuguese Textile Cluster and Selectiva Moda (ASM), in collaboration with the Enterprise Europe Network. Remko Triezenberg, liaison officer at the Enterprise Europe Network Netherlands said: "Hi-Tech-TEX is a free of charge matchmaking event, designed to be the platform that bridges the gap between designers, manufacturers, R&D, buyers, retailers, suppliers, experts and service providers through online or onsite meetings."
In addition to sponsoring Hi-Tech-TEX, Network partners were instrumental in screening participants to facilitate matchmaking. Triezenberg worked with Ruben Petit and Nout Knabben of Manufy to determine the best matching opportunities. Similarly, Ceu Filipe and Susana Pinto of Network partner AEP/CCI Portugal, worked with Essential Together, Lda in advance of Hi-Tech-TEX.
Since meeting in September 2023, Manufy and Essential Together, Lda have collaborated online via the Manufy platform. Enterprise Europe Network support was not limited to the Hi-Tech-TEX event, however. Manufy participated in a Dutch outgoing sustainable textile mission to Porto from 5 to 7 September 2022 and visited Modtissimo, where the oldest exhibition on the Iberian Peninsula dedicated to the textile and fashion industry takes place each year.
In January 2023 and 2024, Manufy participated in the 12th and 13th Network-sponsored EU FashionMatch event at Modefabriek in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a leading city for the fashion industry and innovation, and this free of charge event brought together buyers, agents, designers, suppliers, manufacturers, experts and investors from a wide range of countries. As a result of Enterprise Europe Network services, Manufy experienced an estimated increase of 4 % in sales.
The next chance to meet your future partner in the circular, sustainable textile and fashion business will be at the Circular Textile Days in Hertogenbosch on 18-19 September 2024. Manufy will participate in the onsite matchmaking along with established names as well as young start-ups.
Fashion and all related textile industries are part of a complex and dynamic market ecosystem. With the support of the Enterprise Europe Network, environmentally conscious manufacturers, suppliers and other circularity providers can connect with each other, as Manufy and Essential Together, Lda have done, to make the clothing and textile-related industry more sustainable and socially inclusive.