The TEFAF edition involved Art, Sustainability and Charity.
Marc Meijers kicked us off with the story of his company DenimX. The need is pretty stark and clear: 4 Billion jeans are produced every year, and most of that ends up in landfills. The fashion industry is the second largest polluting industry in the world. Even new clothing is destroyed: a staggering 1/3 of what is produced! 1/3 is sold right away, and 1/3 is sold via discounters. Not a very sustainable situation. DenimX recycles waste denim into durable textile products by mixing fibres with e.g. biobased plastics. The environmental benefits are huge. Land usage, water spillage are avoided while attractive products are produced. Marc showed us several applications: acoustic panels, wine cooler, yarns, and many more. DenimX passed the valley of death, but is still at scale-up phase. The presentation was followed by a lively discussion about the value chain and value creation. Brand owners hold the key as they have a lot of power.
Waste is only waste if we waste it (Will.I.Am)
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Next up was the VIRTUS presentation. Marcel, Vienna, and Joy gave us an insight in their journey to a more inclusive society, where people with special needs are given perspective on a normal life. Virtus was started by Marcel as a spin-off of a bigger social welfare organization. They work with small groups to give everybody the attention they need and deserve. The clients earn money for the group by doing jobs done for e.g. the elderly but also paying customers. Marcel receives a limited allowance for the efforts of the participants. Since an extra helping hand is more than welcome, we organized an auction under the enthusiastic leadership of Bram Tankink. Several lots were sold: 7 spinning bikes got donated, a job regarding apple picking was auctioned, a job concerning the recycling of bigbags, cleaning a bike, helping out with moving furniture. The Virtus team will be able to purchase a new trailer and treadmill! Several members have indicated that they would like to donate an amount directly to Virtus. To be able to do so; you can find the information to do so below!
Donation details:
Virtus The Works
NL18RABO0323979343
Please inform Marcel if you made a donation! marcelniessen@gmail.com
