Tackling fast fashion with food: Terratela’s Earth Day launch revolutionises sustainable style

As Earth Day approaches, the United Nations reveals startling figures concerning the waste generated by the fast fashion industry, with a 60% increase in purchases and garments being worn 50% less. Images of fabric-filled landfills and incinerators highlight the urgent need for change and one company, Terratela, is determined to make a difference through sustainability.

Introducing Terratela: Pioneering sustainable fashion with innovative, regenerative materials

Launching on Earth Day, the brand is on a mission to adopt a circular approach in developing innovative materials sourced from regenerative food and food waste. Their debut product, SeaFibe™, a seaweed-based T-shirt, exemplifies the company’s commitment to sustainability.

Founder Natalia Burakowska is adamant that it is possible to move away from “high volume, cheap garments” heavily discounted and reliant on environmentally damaging practices. She envisions a world without plastic fibres, polluting dyes, wastewater and exploitative labour conditions in developing countries.

Embracing a revolutionary vision for the fashion industry, Terratela is dedicated to creating sustainable clothing that positively impacts the planet. This commitment involves collaborating with certified, ethical factories and utilising low footprint, biodegradable materials that are environmentally friendly.

A recipe for sustainability: SeaFibe™ and the future of eco-friendly fashion

The unisex SeaFibe™ T-shirt utilises seaweed sourced from Iceland’s fjords, combining regenerative seaweed and organic eucalyptus to create an innovative material. The launch date, coinciding with Earth Day, emphasises the importance of raising global awareness about environmental issues: “Our belief is that we should treat every day as Earth Day, making consistent sustainable choices to protect our planet for the generations to come,” said founder Burakowska.

The annual event has driven significant environmental progress since its inception in 1970, leading to crucial legislation and increased global participation in green initiatives. Recently, it has inspired climate change action, such as the Paris Agreement signing. By launching Terratela’s SeaFibe™ T-shirt on Earth Day, the company is aligning itself with this global movement and reinforcing its commitment to sustainability in fashion.

Derived from brown algae, Ascophyllum Nodossum, or Knotted Wrack, the SeaFibe™ T-shirt is created using an environmentally conscious harvesting method. Seaweed is transported to an Austrian manufacturing facility, where it is dried, crushed and ground into a fine powder. This powder is then combined with a pulp made from organic eucalyptus trees using a closed-loop process called lyocell.

The resulting material, Seacell™, is knitted into fabric and assembled, cut and sewn inside ethical factories in Portugal. SeaFibe™ is just the beginning, with CornFibe™, MilkFibe™, BananaFibe™ and SoyFibe™ all planned for launch in 2023.

 

To celebrate the seaweed T-shirt launch, Terratela is partnering with sustainability-focused chefs JP and Ellia Park of New York’s widely successful Atoboy and Atomix  for a special Earth Day dinner at their new restaurant, NARO. Guests will be treated to a seaweed-inspired menu and receive a T-shirt from Terratela’s debut collection.

Committed to sustainability, Terratela designs all products with the planet in mind, using compostable packaging, organic soy-based inks and reusable bags. Founder Burakowska emphasises the importance of repurposing, replanting and reusing packaging to promote a circular economy and reduce waste.

Terratela’s transparency and traceability initiatives include a unique QR code on each T-shirt, allowing customers to learn about their purchase’s sustainable creation. Through an annual white paper and a sustainability score attached to each garment, the company aims to empower its customers to make informed, sustainable choices.

As the fashion industry evolves, Terratela is at the forefront of the sustainability movement, striving to make a difference by creating materials that not only look good but also benefit the planet.

Fashion Desk

For further information about Terratela and SeaFibe™ visit their website here.