Clothing a Better Tomorrow

17 September 2024. From 18:00 To 19:30 | Conference | English | Spanish | Palau Macaya, Barcelona

Textile production and waste are estimated to be responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, more than aviation and shipping combined. Urgent action is needed worldwide to reduce dramatically the clothing industry impact. Every year, $500 billion in value is lost due to underutilised clothing and insufficient recycling efforts. Needless to say, the so-called fast fashion industry has also grown significantly at human cost.

The MENA region is no exception to the rest of the world. Significant wastage of clothes is generated in countries of the region, in addition to international dumping of low-quality clothes, while adequate disposal solutions are almost non-existent. Inequalities remain high and many disadvantage populations, including the high number of refugees, cannot afford standard quality items.

Against this background, the Lebanese Omar Itani co-founded FabricAID, a social enterprise aimed at providing appropriate clothing to disadvantaged communities by gathering, grading, cleaning, and re-distributing used clothes. FabricAID is regarded as one of the fastest-growing social enterprises globally. Since launching in January 2018, the organization has successfully built several brands across Lebanon and Jordan and has recently expanded operations into Egypt. With over $2.1 million in funding raised, the creation of more than 100 jobs, and a fivefold revenue growth in 2021, FabricAID has managed to collect 700,000 items and sell more than 400,000.

This inaugural dialogue of the Med Dialogues 2030 series occurs at Palau Macaya, Pg. de Sant Joan, 108, Barcelona.
Free entrance with prior registration.
With simultaneous translation.