Luceria by TREES

Textile industry is the second largest polluter in the world. Textile Recycling for Ecological and Environmental Sustainability (TREES), a recycling company in the Philippines, collects old clothes and fabric scraps from households and garment factories. We aim to extend the life consumption of these textile wastes to reduce its environmental impact by transforming them into higher valued products such as fashionable and multifunctional shoes and bags and new fabric under the brand, LUCERIA by TREES. Our solution could positively change the lives of million people if scaled globally. It decreases landfill space requirements, bearing in mind that synthetic fiber products do not degrade. It minimizes the use of virgin fibers and reduces consumption of energy and water. It lessens pollution and eliminates the demand for chemicals such as dyes.

Second to oil, the fashion and textile industry is the largest polluter in the world. They are responsible for 92 million tons of solid waste dumped in landfills each year. The synthetic materials in clothes do not degrade and cause pollution. They are also the second biggest consumer of water producing of 20 percent of waste water while also generating  more greenhouse emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Some countries in the ASEAN region, Philippines in particular, are home to many garment factories. A 2017 survey by YouGov shows that 29% of Filipinos have thrown their clothes away after wearing them just once.

To date, there is no official textile recycling company in the Philippines. H&M and Uniqlo offer recycling services, but still textile recycling in our country is not properly regulated. Fast fashion is more popular than ever. While this has made trendy clothes accessible to most, the true cost of producing clothes cheaply by the millions is borne on our planet. The waste produced by fast fashion is growing larger than we can imagine, and this is one of many problems caused by the desire of brands and consumers to keep up with the latest trends.

We collaborate with Filipino designers for the designs of our products. Our shoes and bags are made by Filipino artisans with limited financial resources. We also support Philippines’ countryside development. Our manufacturing site is located in the northern part of the Philippines to provide decent job opportunities for people in the rural areas especially in North and Central Luzon. We employ reformed ex-convicts, rehabilitated drug defendants and other disadvantaged people. We provide them with free trainings and personal development activities. We want them to become economically independent and to have a brand new life, a  brand new hope and to rediscover their purpose in life.

For our textile waste collections, we provide free recycling services to households and garment factories. We're working and encouraging consumers, manufacturers, brands, designers and all members of fashion and textile industry to accept textile recycling as a norm and implement environmentally sustainable practices within their operations and daily activities. 

Our Solution: Textile Recycling for Ecological and Environmental Sustainability (TREES) and the end product is LUCERIA by TREES

TREES is a textile recycling organization in the Philippines that provides free textile recycling services and promotes awareness of the 3Rs (REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE) through educating people of all ages about the impact of textile waste on the environment and people’s lives, and how we can make more sustainable choices. 

TREES aims to extend the life consumption of old clothes and fabric scraps to reduce environmental waste. We collect them from households and garment factories. The collected recyclables are transported to our recycling hub. They are sorted into different categories, types and usage. Good quality clothes are donated to the less fortunate and victims of calamities. Some are use for making our products. Textile that cannot be reused are cut into strips and we weave them to produced a new fabric. We transform these textile wastes into higher valued products such as shoes and bags and home accessories under the brand name LUCERIA by TREES

Our products are multifunctional so it encourage customers to minimize buying additional apparels. Our shoes are convertible from sandals to close shoes and our bags are convertible from tote bag to backpack. 

We use CAD technology in our designs. Blockchain plays an important role to our overall operations as well. It protects our brand against counterfeiting. It can be use also to improve our transparency such as in the sourcing of other materials and to implement fair trade practices to our employees. It carries great potential also to solve our problems in the shipment tracking and timely delivery of our products. We use e-commerce and direct selling to sell our products and social media for promoting it. We believe a solution like ours are always transforming, therefore we need further research on the technologies we need at present and in the future such as the Internet of Things and automated sorting of textiles.

There's no official textile recycling organization in the Philippines and we are currently applying to be the one and eventually to extend our mission to other ASEAN regions that aim to standardize responsible disposal of textile waste. We encourage consumers, manufacturers, brands, designers and all members of fashion and textile industry to accept textile recycling as a norm and implement environmentally sustainable practices within their operations and daily activities. 

Our solution extends the life consumption of old clothes and fabric scraps to reduce environmental waste. It decreases landfill space requirements, bearing in mind that synthetic fiber products do not decompose and that natural fibers may release greenhouse gasses. Our solution lessens the use of virgin fibers as well and reduces consumption of energy and water. It lessens pollution and eliminates the demand for chemicals such as dyes. 

Our end products are fashionable and unique and will help customers to minimize purchasing additional apparels. They are multifunctional. Our shoes can be converted from sandals to close shoes. Our bags can be converted from tote bag to backpack. 

We also support Philippines' countryside and rural development. We provide decent job opportunities to people in the rural areas. We employ reformed ex-offenders, rehabilitated drug defendants and other disadvantaged people. We want them not only to become economically independent but to rediscover their purpose in life. 

We use social media and e-commerce to promote and sell our products and CAD technology for our designs. Blockchain plays an important role to our overall operation as well. It protects our brand against counterfeiting. It can be use also to improve our transparency such as in the sourcing of other materials for our products and to implement and  provide fair trade practices to our employees and overall operations. It carries great potential also to solve our problems in the shipment tracking and timely delivery of our products. 

We believe a solution like ours are always transforming, therefore we need further research on the technologies we need at present and in the future such as Internet of Things, automated sorting of textiles, etc. 

Walk us through this example on how our solution will create an impact.

Make Textile Recycling for Ecological and Environmental Sustainability (TREES) the official recycling center in the Philippines and LUCERIA by TREES as an established fashion brand. Just imagine if there are TREES and LUCERIA in different ASEAN region-- if there will be TREES-Thailand and Luceria-Thailand, TREES-Malaysia and Luceria-Malaysia, etc. As these textile recycling centers are put up, the encouragement to recycle our textile waste will be the norm. We want many fashion brands, garment factories to partner with us for practicing proper textile waste in their supply chain. Our products are designed in collaboration with Filipino local artists and designers. We would like to partner also with many celebrities for clothing donations and marketing strategy.

Since our solution is still in the protype stage, we can only rough estimate the number of people we are serving. More than 100 people in our social media page has shown interest in our products. With regards to recycling and collection of old clothes and fabric scraps from households and garment factories, In Metro Manila alone, so far we've reach 20 condominium towers in our nearby area and they will allow us to collect textile waste from their residents in the coming months; 10 garment factories and more than 25 fashion designers has pledged their support to us. We aim to reach hundred thousands of people in one year and millions of people in the next five years. With regards to our employees, we have 6 fulltime employees on the team including the founders and 5 part-timers. Eventually, we will add more employees in the future.

Textile Recycling for Ecological and Environmental Sustainability (TREES) aims to be the venue that people will turn their textile waste to. If TREES become established, textile recycling will be a normal practice as one takes out their trash. Soon, more consumers, fashion brands and garment factories will unite with TREES and LUCERIA by TREES for practicing proper textile waste in their supply chain. We want TREES and LUCERIA by TREES to have a branch in different ASEAN countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc. As our textile waste collection increases, more textile waste will be transformed into higher valued products. Within the next five years, our solution will help drastically on the reduction of environmental waste that is harmful to our planet. Our social enterprise and fashion brand, LUCERIA by TREES will then provide more jobs and more opportunities to disadvantaged people.

For financial barrier: It's not easy to apply for grants and accelerator programs. Its hard to find investors as well if the project is only in the development stage

For technical and legal: Solution like ours are always transforming, therefore we need further research on the technologies we need at present and in the future. Getting business permits and patent is a long and ardous process. Each country has their own laws and requirements.

For cultural and market: Consumers aren't motivated to care and there's no easy means to change their consumption habits, sustainability is not yet in the DNA of many consumers, fast-fashion current model disincentivizes value-driven economies.

For financial barrier:  For the meantime, we will depend on angel investors (friends, family) as well as to grants and accelerator programs, but we aim to be financially sustainable in the long run through the sales of our products.

For technical and legal: If we will qualified to partner with MIT-Solve, we will overcome the technical barrier . We will collaborate with lawyers who are practicing or who has expert legal knowledge in our target countries

For cultural and market: We will promote our mission and our products more extensively-- in person and through our social media channels

Its only less than a year since we've started. We have 6 full time employees including the 3 main founders, and 5 part-timers.

We have the right team to deliver our solution and solve the problem.

Our Founder/CEO and Head of Designs and Innovation is a long time entrepreneur and has extensive knowledge in business and law. She has trainings in Dressmaking and Fashion Designing as well. Believe it or not, she's started doing textile recycling and sewing her own clothes at the age of seven years old. She has a strong desire to save the environment and the planet and to do something on behalf of the world that will help those in need and suffering from oppression. 

Our Co-Founder and Head of Finance and Administration is a graduate of Business and Economics. She has the expertise to oversee our company’s financial operation and reporting, as well as conducts administrative tasks. She is a youth leader and involves in different youth organizations.

Our other Co-Founder and Head of Social Services is a seasoned social worker. She is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Social Work and with further studies in Master in Public Administration. Her expertise will help our company in the administration and supervision of our social services programs for our workers.

To balance the team, we have Head of IT for the technical needs of our social enterprise, Head of Marketing  who will be responsible for all the marketing activities and for our brand management and identity, and we have Head of HR who will be in charge to manage employees and handle training, compensation and staffing matters 

There is no official textile recycling organization in the Philippines. We are currently processing our application to be the official textile recycling organization of our country. I had the opportunity also to receive an email from the Founder of Shoe that Grows and Because International. He's interested to help us to further develop our products.

We are combination of for profit and not for profit business that has social and environmental impact. For us to be sustainable, we have to earn profit. For us to be able to collect more textile wastes and turn them into higher valued products, we need revenue. We will sell our products through online and Direct Selling. Direct Selling allows us for more personal interactions with our customers. Since we are still in the development stage, this will give us the opportunity to answer customer questions and address concerns. By gathering this vital feedback, we can catch and correct problems in the early stages and avoid losing unsatisfied customers down the line. Customer insights are the holy grail of a business, and the more we know about our customers, the better we can improve and innovate. We will have physical store and we will join pop-up markets and bazaars in Metro Manila and some cities in the provinces. We have also website and social media such as instagram and facebook to sell and promote our products, especially to customers who cannot reach our physical store.

We are a combination of for profit and not for profit business that has social and environmental impact. For us to be sustainable, we have to earn profit. For us to be able to collect more textile wastes and turn them into higher valued products, we need revenue. We may depend on grants and angel investors at the start but we aim to be financially sustainable through the sale of our products.

If we qualify as one of the "Solvers", it would be a great pride and honor. MIT-SOLVE will provide us ecosystem of support that our early stage start up needs right now such as infrastracture and trainings. You'll help our founding team build critical strategy and business plan, financial forecast, sales and marketing strategy and technology roadmap as well as access to funding and to other investors.

We would like to partner with the following organizations:

1).There is no official textile recycling company in the Philippines, so we would like to partner with our own government and present our solution as well as our mission and vision to them.

2).  SOLVE. We need their technical expertise to improve our technology roadmap, the technology we are currently using and will be using in the future.

3). FASHION REVOLUTION- They are a global movement and like them we want a fashion industry that values people, the environment, creativity and profit in equal measure. 

4.) ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION- We would like to partner with them to know more about Circular Economy

We will utilize the prize to reach more people about our mission and vision as well as to promote our end products. We will use it also for further development of our products as well for the extensive research on the technology needed to improve more our circular economy model and how we can reduce environmental waste and save our planet. 

Majority of our employees are women from disadvantaged and underserved communities. We will utilize the prize by providing them with  further training in shoemaking and bagmaking using modern technology and techniques, so they can apply what they've learned on the improvement of our products and company. In the future, they can be an entrepreneur also on their own, using those further knowledge as well.