Circoolar ecofriendly workwear company reinvented itself in pandemia by selling masks, seeks to expand outside Spain :" Now people are more concerned about sustainability".
Circoolar is a company specialized in the labor textile sector, but its work clothes are characterized by being based on the concept of circular economy. That is, based on recycled or low environmental impact products.
With this business model, in its first year, 2020, they managed to invoice about 156,000 euros through the sale of 30,000 units and for this they expect similar income. Among its 26 clients are companies such as Pepsico, Uriach, Isdin or El Fornet.
Their good performance in Spain has led them to start contacts to expand in several countries of central and northern Europe, where "the circularity of the textile is more adopted", points out Luis Ribó, co-founder of Circoolar with Celina Tamagnini. "We are linked to the Dutch market, but we are marking the ground," he says.
Born in November 2019, Circoolar soon had to adapt its activity in a context marked by the coronavirus pandemic. "We had been 3 or 4 months and then came what for many is the biggest crisis in our history," he recalls.
Circoolar ecofriendly workwear company reinvented
With most professional activities restricted or canceled by the declaration of the state of alarm, in March 2020, these 2 entrepreneurs came up with the idea of marketing masks that allowed their use after between 20 and 50 washes.
"The need for protection with masks appeared, we saw the problem that there were a lot of disposable masks lying on the floor and we bet on giving an answer from our values," says Ribó, who points out that they represented half of their sales last year.
They managed to promote a type of mask that was not as sustainable as they would have wanted, having to conform to all regulatory requirements, but they estimate that they have avoided the use of more than 2 million disposable masks that would have become waste. In addition, they donated 10 per cent to charitable causes related to the pandemic.
The company has a strong character of social and environmental responsibility. In its short journey highlights such as having avoided the waste of more than 10,000 plastic bottles, the reduction in 24% of the carbon footprint in its textile processes and 62% energy savings and 91% water thanks to the use of organic cotton.
Circoolar ecofriendly workwear company reinvented
Circoolar bases its business on 3 points that revolve around sustainability, according to Ribó.
"It matters the origin of the garments, which are made of ecofriendly materials, such as recycled materials, bottles or cotton from other presses, and elements such as organic cotton, which has a lower environmental impact with respect to water, CO2 and energy," he says.
The second leg is that part of the garments, those of small orders, are made workshops for social insertion and female empowerment, with the participation of 20 families. The third main factor of your product is the fate of the garments after their useful life.
"In certain volumes, we have a product collection service," says Ribó, who points out that part of this material is used in the production of merchandising products made of felt and 100% recyclable.
"Our motto could be summed up in that our garments are I was, I am and I will be", he points out, in relation to the fact that this clothing was a waste, which then "is transformed by empowered people "to crystallize into"a zero textile waste".
Circoolar ecofriendly workwear company reinvented
Circoolar's development during the pandemic reflects that environmental protection issues are increasingly being welcomed by customers. Ribó attributes it to the fact that"with the pandemic we have realized how vulnerable we are and how we affect our actions."
This also applies to businesses, even among some of the sectors most affected by health restrictions. "Catering and hospitality are betting strongly on sustainability. They have reacted like everyone else, becoming more interested, " he points out.
"There is a greater awareness and restaurateurs and hoteliers realize that it is something that has weight within what the customer claims", explains the businessman, which ensures that the second or third month of the pandemic and began to receive tissue samples and request budgets. They are currently its main customers, with the fall in demand for masks.