Entitled Textile: Weaving a Sustainable Future, the project represents an investment of more than €230,000, co-financed by the Interreg programme. It aims to “reduce dependence on unsustainable textiles and strengthen the local economy by promoting reuse, recycling and more efficient management of textile waste in the Macaronesia regions – Azores, Madeira, Canaries and Cape Verde – as well as in partner African countries,” explained Alonso Miguel, Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, in a statement.
Among its main objectives is “to promote the transition to a more sustainable model of production and consumption, thereby reducing the share of textile waste that is incinerated or sent to landfill, and encouraging its reuse and recycling through technological, management and cooperation solutions adapted to the regional context,” he added.
The project is part of the measures set out in the Azores Circular Economy Agenda and involves collaboration between the participating regional governments and several academic institutions, including the University of the Azores, the University of Cape Verde, the University of São Tomé and Príncipe, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of La Laguna in Tenerife. Other participating organisations include AJITER – Youth Associationof Terceira Island, the Gaspar Frutuoso Foundation, and the Madeira Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACIF).
“With the development of the circular economy, it will be possible to increase the value of the waste produced and, consequently, reduce the consumption of raw materials and the generation of waste that is not recovered or reused,” stressed Alonso Miguel.
