Business case

Impact on the availability of resources as well as their effect on living organisms, ecosystems, and components of the environment.

Ecological Impact

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Producing and providing business and consumer goods and services

Goods and Services

Producing textile and leather products and processing them into apparel and accessories

Fashion and Textiles

Account for the systems perspective during the design process, to use the right materials, to design for appropriate lifetime and to design for extended future use

Design for the future

Work together throughout the supply chain, internally within organisations and with the public sector and communities to increase transparency and create joint value

Team up to create joint value

Reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste streams within the same industry

Valorise waste streams - closed loop

Reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste streams within other industries

Valorise waste streams - open loop

Designing to reduce waste during production and use

Design out waste

Industry peers to industry peer collaboration to create joint value and identify synergies

Industry collaboration

Designing products so they use as little materials, water, energy, etc. as possible during use

Design for resource efficiency

Designing products to remove any barriers to recycling and enable easy recyclability

Design for recycling

Engaging in discussions with industry stakeholders to share circular economy best practices and push the industry towards greater circularity

Guidance, dialogue with industry stakeholders

Impacts

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Industries

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The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

 Great news! We have just been accredited the ISO 9001 : 2015 quality certificate.   Being the leader in the field of textile recycling in Tunisia and North Africa, Sofrip company is constantly growing and improving its performance and the quality of its products and services.  Sofrip’s Corporate board, managers, and team, in coherence with its strategic vision which ultimate aim is the satisfaction of its clients, have taken steps towards quality management. Always faithful to our mantra, “WHO SEEKS PERFECTION FINDS EXCELLENCE”, we took it on our shoulders to put in place a management system conform with the quality norm of ISO 9001 :2015.  Today, Sofrip Textile Recycling is honored and proud to announce it successfully acquired the ISO 9001 :2015 accreditation.  This international attestation is the most globally recognized quality certification, guaranteeing that our products and services meet the needs of our partners and clients all over the world.  Sofrip acquired the ISO 9001 :2015 certification on the 23rd of September 2020, following the favorable outcome of the SGS certification committee.  Accredited by SGS, a renowned institution, this certificate covers all Sofrip's activities; sorting, recycling and commercialization of used clothes and shoes.Thus, this ISO 9001: 2015 certificate proves Sofrip’s directors, managers and employee’s willingness and devotion to insure products and services of the highest grade to those who trust us; our collaborators, clients and partners.  Indeed, this certification consolidates and rewards the quality measures that are at the root of Sofrip’s success, placing our clients and partners’ needs at the top of our priorities.  A reward that crowns the whole team’s effort; nevertheless, not an end to our ambition to continuously innovate and improve our procedures and activities in the aim of excellence.  “AMBITION OF EXCELLENCE HAS NO LIMITS, IT IS INFINITE” 

Our take on the most classic fit.Versatile, regular, and rigid. — This is Gritty Jackson.

Stakeholders of the Tunisian textile sector want to reduce the environmental impact of their activity. A seminar was held in Tunis on November 26, 2019, on the theme “promoting circular value chains for a competitive and sustainable textile industry”. Organised by the Tunisian Textile and Clothing Federation (FTTH), the meeting was designed to introduce textile operators to a green economy approach, where chemical waste from factories is recycled or valorised. Textiles, which is a pillar of the Tunisian economy, contributes more than 20% to the GDP, with 1,600 companies, 160,000 jobs and €2.2 billion in export sales, and exerts a strong pressure on the environment.
Textile production consumes a lot of resources and generates a lot of waste. According to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), global cotton production alone consumes 25% of the insecticides and 10% of the herbicides used in the world. In addition, the air pollution it generates exceeds that generated by emissions from shipping and air traffic combined. Emissions of greenhouse gases are estimated at 1.2 billion tons of CO² equivalent in 2015. The eco-responsibility of Tunisian textiles is further reinforced by the “MedTestIII” initiative.
It aims at developing circular textile value chains, recovering textile waste, and was launched during the Tunis seminar. Funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), this programme is also expected to be implemented in two other North African countries: Morocco and Egypt. “More and more international brands are setting up collection and recycling units for used clothing. We must not miss this train which is the key to the durability and sustainability of the national textile and clothing sector,” said Hosni Boufaden, FTTH President. Concretely, Med TestIII will strengthen local infrastructure, technical expertise and know-how to promote the appropriate classification, efficient collection, sorting and recycling of post-industrial and pre-consumer textile waste.
Boris Ngounou


Two companies in Tunisia are responsible for over half of Nudie Jeans’ production value. To develop greener production processes in Tunisia, Nudie Jeans has been working with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as part of the European Union-funded SwitchMed project. In December 2020, a two-phase pilot project began to test the feasibility of recycling second-quality jeans into fabric for new jeans in Tunisia. Brinkberg says that in the first phase, to be completed by May 2021, “Eight thousand pairs of second-choice jeans are being used, together with virgin denim fabric, to create 20,000 metres of new fabric. From this new fabric, 15,000 pairs of new jeans will be created.” The data from this initiative will enable UNIDO to assess the feasibility of recycling second-quality jeans into fibres for new denim fabric at scale.  A second phase will focus on developing an upcycling and remanufacturing scheme with local designers in Tunisia and will explore the possibilities for recycling post-industrial cutting waste from jeans production. Roberta De Palma, Chief Technical Advisor at UNIDO, explains, “The current production system for fashion goods uses high volumes of virgin fibres, which creates a significant pressure on valuable resources, such as water.” According to the United Nations, approximately 10,000 litres of water are required to make one single pair of jeans from the production of the cotton to the delivery of the final product to the store. De Palma says, “Exploring ways for recycling post-industrial textile waste could reduce this dependency and support the development of a recycling infrastructure in the production countries.” Water scarcity has long been a challenge in Tunisia but climate change, combined with rapid urbanization, has made the problem even more acute. With demands from industry and agriculture putting immense pressure on Tunisia’s water resources, Nudie Jeans and UNIDO are hoping their project will show a way to do more with less.

Tunisia’s textile industry is set to place greater focus on sustainable business practices, with the launch of a new initiative that will engage stakeholders in aligning with circular production principles and creating more robust recycling infrastructure.An event, organised by the Tunisian Textile and Clothing Federation (FTTH) and held towards the end of 2019 in the country’s capital, honed in on “promoting circular value chains for a competitive and sustainable textile industry”. It was here that Med TestIII – the new initiative – was launched.Tunisia’s textiles industry is a pillar of the country’s economy and, with more than 1,600 companies, registers an estimated €2.2 billion in export sales. That said, it’s believed the nation’s industry lags behind with regards to its sustainability efforts, something stakeholders insist must be changed if it is to continue to be successful.Inviting major players, November’s sustainability seminar sought to inspire and align stakeholders in overhauling its business-as-usual approach to crucially factor in waste management.With the launch of its new Med TestIII initiative – funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) – firms can be guided in developing circular textile value chains.“More and more international brands are setting up collection and recycling units for used clothing. We must not miss this train which is the key to the durability and sustainability of the national textile and clothing sector,” said Hosni Boufaden, FTTH President.Set to be further rolled out into both Morocco and Egypt, the initiative will vie to strengthen local infrastructure, technical expertise and know-how. This, to promote an efficient textile collection, sorting and recycling service for post-industrial and pre-consumer textile waste.Courtesy: Eco Textile News

       Written by Chris Remington	    Published: 08 January 2020        TUNIS – Tunisia’s textile industry is set to place greater focus on sustainable business practices, with the launch of a new initiative that will engage stakeholders in aligning with circular production principles and creating more robust recycling infrastructure. An event, organised by the Tunisian Textile and Clothing Federation (FTTH) and held towards the end of 2019 in the country’s capital, honed in on “promoting circular value chains for a competitive and sustainable textile industry”. It was here that Med TestIII – the new initiative – was launched. Log in or subscribe to see this content    

Africa

Tunisia

Sfax

Tunis

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Nudie Jeans 

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

Sofrip

Tunisian Textile and Clothing Federation (FTTH)

<p>During the last years, Tunisia's government strengthened the textiles sector to boost rural employment and drive economic change. A strategic focus, among others, was put on environmental friendly production which is why the Tunisian Textile and Clothing Federation (FTTH) has organised a seminar on the recovery and recycling of post-industrial waste in the clothing sector.&nbsp;Furthermore, Tunisia’s textile industry wants to place greater focus on sustainable business practices, with the launch of a new initiative that will engage stakeholders in aligning with circular production principles and creating a more robust recycling infrastructure. Examples like the Tunisian company Sofrip, a leading actor in textile recycling, which has the goal of upholding a ‘zero waste’ philosophy or companies which are responsible for over half of Nudie Jeans production value to develop greener production processes, are change-makers towards more sustainable production of textiles.</p>