Javier Goyeneche
Founder of ECOALF, sustainable fashion brand that uses recycled products
Historically, ecological products have been expensive: that is the case with electric cars and organic food. This is one of our big challenges
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Javier Goyeneche is one of the most cutting-edge, young European businessmen. He bases his business policy on innovation, research, human relationships and the ethical conviction that businesses should grow not only respecting the environment but also doing something to take care of the planet. The prestigious leadership and management forum, Thinkers50, included him on its 2019 talent radar. Javier Goyeneche, was awarded the Schwab Foundation’s social innovators of the year 2020 for revolutionizing the fashion industry and leading the shift towards a sustainable future.
He sold his first company in 2012, the clothing and accessories chain Fun & Basics, and is now putting his efforts into Ecoalf with great success, a project he began in 2009 and which through investment in R&D&I is becoming a global benchmark for sustainability and fashion. His vision involves recycling waste plastic in order to turn it into fabrics and materials that are of the same quality as conventional products. He uses these to make clothing, footwear and accessories that are both attractive and ethical. under the moto “There is no planet B”, Javier Goyeneche and Ecoalf have the fashion industry, the second most polluting in the world.
They currently recycle PET plastic bottles, fishing nets, coffee remnants, used cotton and wool, old tires to create polymers, thread and fabric for their clothes. He is also the creator of the Ecoalf Foundation, which through the Upcycling the Oceans initiative, seeks to remove the trash from the Mediterranean with the help of fishermen on the Levante coast. The materials collected will be turned into pellets, thread, fabric and products. In 2017 they rescued over 250 tons from the seabed, operating in 70 ports and over 3000 fishermen.
TALKS:
From trash to fashion: if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem
The waste issue is a lot more dire then we might image and getting worse by the minute. Our natural resources are limited, and there is no other planet we can relocate to. Thus, merging innovation and sustainability is crucial, because what you do is no longer enough, what matters is how you do it.
Be Fearless About Being an Entrepreneur:
There is no need to fear being an entrepreneur, but it is necessary to have a serious approach, a strategy and an in-depth understanding of the market in which you want to operate. Commitment to quality, self-improvement, business ethics, creativity and innovation go hand in hand with cultivating human relationships inside and outside the business.
Innovate or Bust:
We are entering a new era in which consumers are beginning to press for companies to represent values that they identify with. This challenge requires a new generation of entrepreneurs who can bring their innovations to market ensuring that everyone’s basic needs are met and that their products respect the three-way balance between people, the planet and profit.
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