The amount of clothing that is generated every day, only to be thrown after one or two wears is huge. Countless videos, articles, and other media have been created and circulated about reusing old clothes instead of throwing them at once, but consumers barely try to follow through. To save the environment from such cloth waste-hills, SOFRIP was born.
A counter for the trends that come and go are often the reason behind people throwing away clothes, not justifying the resources and labour that go into making them, Tunisia-based SOFRIP is a second-hand clothing and shoes line, the macro-thrift-store that started over 27 years ago. Rebranding the used clothes sector and refuting all the stereotypes, this company situated on the Mediterranean Coast in Sfax City, is proving that it can be a fundamental solution for a green world.
Based on the approach of zero-waste, SOFRIP starts its work by appropriately selecting clothes according to fabric, market styles, cultural, legal and technical requirements. They are sourced from sustainable markets for ethical reasons, as the team at SOFRIP believes that each element of the value chain is important for the overall performance and long-term solidarity of the business.
Understandably, every clothing SOFRIP receives is not in the best of conditions, says Joseph Pastore from SOFRIP. “Some of these clothes are reused or recycled, whereas the unwearable ones can also be used as first quality raw materials for hi tech sectors like automobile, furnishing, and geo textile by using the fraying technique,” he informs.
Sole vision
SOFRIP is renowned for its textile fibre too. “Our reclaimed fiber blends are created from textile waste that has been sorted by fiber type, defiberised, and blended according to our 360 recycling process,” says Pastore. Specialty fibres or flame retardant treatments can also be added to these clothes for specific performance characteristics. The materials are sorted according to their quality, utility, and the gender it can be worn by.
Not only clothes, but footwear is also dealt with at SOFRIP. Also, any leftover clothes from the cutting process are turned into wiping rags, minimising waste by a great margin. When the appropriate clothes are recycled, best quality machinery is used to eliminate the chance of any faults in the process.
SOFRIP has a large network of partners over Asia, Europe, Africa and America. Its mission is not only giving a second life to used clothing but also a passion and duty to preserve the environment and conserve natural resources.
The company purchases its products for recycling from collecting companies. The work has a positive impact on the local businesses too. Joseph says, “Now, we also produce raw materials for local manufacturers in the bedding and stuffing sector. They used to earlier import them. In addition, we are involved in the entrepreneurship movement by providing good quality products for people to open their own stores for used clothes.”
Giving New Life to threads and soles
Considering a whopping 92 million tonnes of textile waste is created by the world each year, recycling even a small percentage can lower the amount of clothes going to the landfills, ones that could be used by the eco-conscious, economically weaker section of people, or those who like seeing a colourful wardrobe containing clothes of various styles in their homes.
The company focuses on the quality of the products but at the same time keeps its prices suitable for everyone. “Our ambition is to reach our zero-waste goal, grow our capacity of production and create new partnerships to develop our international network and ensure the sustainability of our company,” says Joseph about SOFRIP’s future plans.
In addition, SOFRIP also plans to invest in production of insulation panels from waste. The company was accredited the ISO 9001 : 2015 certification in 2020 for its excellent work in recycling and commercialisation of used clothes and shoes.
Read More: What is ‘wishcycling’ and why is it a problem for the circular economy?
