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GLIMPSES

Waste-sized design. The sustainable consumer’s vademecum by l’Opificio.

GLIMPSES

Keywords:

Craftsmanship , Sustainability , Featured
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Ever since it was founded in 1998, l’Opificio has represented a model of positive change with its textile collections. When no one used to talk about sustainability, l’Opificio was already a silent archetype of a company caring about the environment and people. The products signed by l’Opificio are luxury goods because they are made with quality and non-chemical materials, durable over time and far from the concept of “fast use”. An aesthetic that transcends time, as it is faithful to a concept of beauty that has no expiring date, and that always appears harmonious, completes the picture. Today, the awareness of the impact that bad textile products have on the environment is increasing, also thanks to initiatives such as Slow Fiber, a network of virtuous companies that, together with l’Opificio, are promoting a positive movement of change. We talked about it with Paola Bertoldo, President and Owner at l’Opificio.

Image copyright: @ l'Opificio
Image copyright: @ l'Opificio
Image copyright: @ l'Opificio
Image copyright: @ l'Opificio

What are the questions to ask before buying a piece of furniture? Which of these are mostly ignored by buyers? 

The consumer must precede curiosity to buying. When it comes to furniture or fashion, reading the label allows us to answer the first fundamental questions: How is it made? Where is it made? What is its price? Crossing these three information we already have some important indications on the quality of the product. An excessively low price, for instance, cannot be accompanied by good quality. Then, some materials, especially if not made in an ethical, good, fair and clean way – these are the key words in the vocabulary of sustainability – are waste in the form of a dress or piece of furniture. The place of production, on the other hand, gives us indications about the social sustainability of the product. If it is produced in Europe or the United States, we tend to guarantee that workers’ rights have been respected at 360 degrees.

Curiosity, however, must go beyond the label. For example, the consumer can talk to salespeople or check the website online for more information. If the company is virtuous and has embraced environmentally friendly practices, it usually underlies these elements. The most important and beautiful thing is that we consumers, with our purchasing choices, can orient the market and make it clear that fabrics produced with bad chemistry have no future.

What are the most significant data on the consumption of textile products and the transparency of companies?

The textile industry produces 150 billion pieces every year. Most of these, equal to 90% percent, correspond to a “fast” product, and therefore it is waste already. It is a market that asks to produce at the speed of light: in ten days a garment is copied, crafted and put on sale. However, with the maturation of a deeper awareness by consumers, there is a part of the product that is not appreciated by the market and therefore remains unsold. This is why in Africa and South America we find deserts of rags. They are the result of the production of polyester garments that cannot be recycled for their low quality. They are disposable for which the estimated use is maximum eight times. The same applies to a piece of furniture. If I buy a sofa and after a short time the fabric is damaged, I will find myself with a very large piece to dispose of.

What is the postion of l'Opificio in this context?

Today there are rules, whose refinement goes hand in hand with the acquisition of greater awareness. As a company, l’Opificio has always gone beyond the rules imposed by the legislature. For example, we do not use formaldehyde, although it is allowed. This material in fact allows you to buy less rich fibers – and therefore at a low price – because it gives them a brighter and longer-lasting appearance. In the absence of formaldehyde, it is necessary to buy longer and higher quality fibers, as well as treating them with specific techniques to last over time. Of course, a yarn of this type, whose fibers are not held together by chemistry but by quality techniques, has a higher cost. Moreover, having a zero-kilometer production, we have full control of the entire production chain. We started talking about this six years ago. At the time we were turned away, with others complaining that we did not understand the globalized world in which we live. Today it is a theme of the most inflated.

How did Slow Fiber came about? What elements bind together food, fashion and textile industries?

Slow Fiber is the thematic network dedicated to textiles of Slow Food Italia. The project was born thanks to the awareness of Carlo Petrini, who understood how the textile industry is a very long and wide chain, agricultural as well as industrial. For this reason, there are points of contact between the production of cheese and that of wool. And there are also many companies in the world that practice a fair and durable textile, even if, not having the power of the industrial giants, have always remained in the shadows despite the virtuosity of their production. The purpose of Slow Fiber is to turn the spotlight on these realities and educate the consumer with their testimony. I am not just talking about the final consumer, but also about the business operators, architects and interior designers.

Image copyright: @ l'Opificio
Image copyright: @ l'Opificio
Image copyright: @ l'Opificio
Image copyright: @ l'Opificio

Among the objectives mentioned is the "recovery of a new ideal of beauty". What defines this new ideal?

Among the needs of human beings we find that of living in a place whose beauty exceeds space because it is also due to how it was produced. It is an ideal of beauty respectful of the environment and biodiversity, of man and workers, that integrates with the principles of Slow Fiber. The house must be a testimony of oneself, of a way of being. All this must not be eliminated, but strengthened with a series of principles in respect of people and environment.

How should current business models be rethought in an eco-conscius perspective?

In the organization of one’s own productive model, the scheme of the circular economy has become fundamental. On the one hand I can bring our experience, because working on a complete production cycle allows us to have quality control from A to Z. It also allows us to avoid moments of external logistics within the process since everything, from weaving to dyeing, is made by us. It is a common sense attitude that we applied from the outset. On the other hand, the industrial model, especially at a time when the world economy has become a single market with a single place of production, has shifted to the other production models that we know well.

In what aspects does l'Opificio's approach to the circular business model take shape?

L’Opificio began twenty-five years ago to adopt some precautions. Our choice has always been to present a few collections every year and keep them over time, so that if a customer needs to remake an armchair or adjust a fabric, we can provide him with such a service. We avoid in every way to propose a fashionable design: we have our own style, elegant and with no expiration date. Another trick is that of the double-sided, so that you have two collections in the same product, maybe a matte and a shiny, or even two different patterns. By expanding the possibilities of use we also enhance the durability, because, having two products in one, the consumer will wait longer before buying a third. The “out of collection” model is a waste from the point of view of the buyer and the company. We are against this logic, and the environment agrees with us.  

Are there new appointments or evolutions of the Slow Fiber projects?

Slow Fiber is a young project, still in the recruitment phase. The initiative involves all companies in the supply chain, even those unknown to the end user, such as those specialized in warping, finishing and dyeing. The fact that they can have a place to claim that they exist and work in a certain way has increased interest in the project. There are currently eighteen of us, but there are five companies waiting for the final approval. The will is to expand more and more and at the moment we are doing it by participating in fairs, meetings, seminars and talks.

Paola Bertoldo <br/> President and Owner at l’Opificio
Paola Bertoldo
President and Owner at l’Opificio
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