About
Founded by a team of ambitious young entrepreneurs who, after looking at the product life cycle, turned to unsold textiles, REFIB was born out of a vision to reclaim textile waste and create a world where resources are kept in constant circulation.
"Concerned about environmental and social issues, we want to make tomorrow a better future. And in particular, aware of the harmful effects of the textile industry on the environment, we believe in transforming the business model of the actors composing this industry by accompanying them towards sustainable and responsible solutions", Louise, co-founder of REFIB.
Fashion, a linear industry, harmful to the environment
The textile sector is one of the most polluting industries in the world. The industry consumes water, energy and pesticides, and emits a lot of carbon. We are often unaware of it, but the manufacturing of clothing has disastrous consequences on the environment.
Growing or manufacturing of raw materials
Spinning: manufacture of yarn
Yarn dyeing
Weaving or knitting
Finishing: chemical finish to stabilize and soften the fabric
Design and conception
Distribution
Disposal of unsold stock, prototypes, production offcuts and protected fabrics
11,000 liters of water is the volume needed to manufacture one pair of cotton jeans. The equivalent of 285 showers.
1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases emitted each year.
That's more than international flights and maritime traffic combined.
$500 Billion in annual losses caused by unsold clothing and overproduction.
Sources : Mckinsey, Fondation Ellen MacAthur
This strong pressure on resources and the associated pollution will worsen since, driven by fast-fashion and the increase in the world's population, clothing production is expected to triple by 2050.
If the trend continues, the world is on its way to consuming 160 million tons of textiles each year by 2030, almost all of which will end up in the oceans, landfills or incinerators.
Sources: OECD.org
General awareness for the environment
To put an end to this situation, some countries are reforming the textile sector by implementing new laws and expanding extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems.
The AGEC law (Anti-Waste and Circular Economy), which will come into force on 1 January 2022 in France (decree n°2022-748), prohibits the destruction of new non-food waste, including new textile materials not used by professionals.
In addition, from 2023 and for six years, the government has announced a new six-year roadmap for the textile and clothing sector. The government is proposing five avenues: bonuses for more virtuous products, reducing the cost of textile repair, developing new solutions for collecting used textiles, financing textile sorting and repair, and setting up a French recycling sector for non-reusable textiles.
Outside of France, the expansion of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems in various countries brings both challenges and opportunities. On January 1, 2022, Sweden became the second country in the world to introduce EPR on clothing. In the United Kingdom, Parliament passed key primary legislation in 2021 also targeting EPR for apparel. In addition, the Dutch government has committed to introducing EPR for clothing in 2023, while overtures to establish similar systems have been heard elsewhere in Europe and beyond.
Let's close the loop
In this regulatory shift, the challenges for textile players are multiplying: to sustainably dispose of unsold stock, to create a profitable circular economy, to comply with legislation and to assess sustainability performance. Our aim is to help them rethink their business models and, in particular, the life cycle of their products.
REFIB offers a service 100% dedicated to the closed-loop recycling of unsold textile stocks to allow companies and chains of ready-to-wear stores to valorize them while respecting product safety, ecological, social, regulatory and environmental standards.
Stock analysis
Gathering and sorting
Removal of hard points (buttons, etc.)
Recycling
Weaving or knitting
Design and conception
Distribution
Spinning