EcoSimple: Sustainable Style

Today, inspired by the message of Earth Day, we head to EcoSimple, a sustainable fabric producer located in enchanting São Paulo, Brazil. São Paulo was founded in 1554 by the Jesuits, yet remained a small city for many years. In 1850, lucrative coffee plantations brought with them inward migration as well as investment. As São Paulo's population and wealth increased, it became the first industrial city in Brazil.

    Today, São Paulo is the financial, industrial, and commercial hub of the country. It's the largest and most populated city in South America, and one of the largest cities in the world. São Paulo is an inland city, uniquely situated a short distance between beautiful ocean beaches and magnificent ecological reserves.


    As one can imagine, with such a large population, Sao Paulo also has major environmental issues to deal with. Many initiatives have been developed and implemented by the Brazilian government as well as the citizens of the city.


    EcoSimple, based in Sao Paulo, produces fabrics from the leftovers of big [textile](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/textile) companies, as well as from recycled PET [bottles](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/bottles) (Brazil produces more than 200,000 tons of PET plastic per year).








    Ecosimple was founded in 2004 by Claudio Rocha and Marisa Ferragutt. "We noticed a lack in the market, of a recycled product, that is upscale with distinctive design," said Rocha. Ecosimple maintains a team that works exactly like other companies in the industry: looking for markets and researching trends. "We try to meet each segment with a specific collection. We have a team doing research with studios and designers to meet in advance," says Rocha. 

    Ecosimple only produces fabrics from renewable raw materials. Any type of synthetic yarn is prohibited. "We recycle leftover clothing, scrap and disposal of the [textile](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/textile) industry," explains Rocha. The company adopts the scheme known as reverse manufacturing, ie, working from the leftovers and scraps from [textile](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/textile) manufacturers to create new fabrics. The company begins its work in the interior of Santa Catarina, a state in Southern Brazil that produces more knitwear than anywhere else in the country. Always aware of their social commitment, EcoSimple employs cooperatives of waste pickers to sort the material scraps by color. These employees are fairly paid and receive valuable training through this work.





        After the sorting, the process of tearing the tissue until it reverts back to fiber begins. The fiber is then mixed with the product from the recycling of PET bottles, and goes to the looms to form new material. Each month, the company produces about three hundred thousand meters (or 180,000 pounds) of fabric through this process.


        To further reduce the environmental impact in production, Ecosimple does not use any type of dye in their process. Therefore, separation by color is extremely important. The separation is essential for the sustainability of the process because the existing pigmentation remains and gives color to the new materials produced. This technique avoids the use of new chemicals to give color to woven products, and drastically reduces the use of water in production. 



            During this process, small chromatic variations disappear naturally. For each meter of recycled fabric produced, eight PET [bottles](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/bottles) and about 480 grams of [textile](https://www.commonshare.com/capabilities/textile) waste are used.

Materials in this article

EcoSimple Tweed Recycled Cotton + RPET- Yellow

              $  10.23 / Meters                

From Brazil

            Add to Swatch book



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EcoSimple Denin Recycled Cotton + RPET- White Deni[..]

$ 10.23 / Meters

From Brazil