Toward sustainable fashion: nettle and blueberry garments to promote sustainable development of mountain areas and to boost young talents

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In the EU, the clothing industry alone accounts for 10% of the EU life-cycle environmental impacts and to several socio-environmental issues such as heavy use of chemicals, pesticides, substances harmful to the environment and human health, water/soil contamination, intensive farming practices, obsolescence of final products, waste production, CO2 emission and exploitation of cheap labor. ORTIKA takes its origins from the experience of the project “Divenire – School of Dreamers” of 13 young people involved in the project, living in the Modenese Apennine. The concept and its implementation lead to the creation of a start-up producing natural garments, starting from nettle and mixed nettle and blueberry. Natural fiber composites market is foreseen to grow at a CAGR of 11.33% from 2017 to 2021 and to reach 10.89 billion USD by 2024. The result is a new form of collaboration between all the actors involved, delivering, on one hand, the idea of strong collaboration based on each member talent and, on the other hand, the message of returning to a natural eco-lifestyle. Therefore, our innovation combines EU priorities (REACH regulation, Biocide Regulation, EU Textile and Clothing Vision for 2025, Circular Economy Action Plan, EU Ecolabel Textiles, Single Markets for Green Products, European Clothing Action Plan) with consumers’ needs by offering environmentally friendly clothing in nettle and mixed nettle and blueberry. Product design has a key role to conceive appealing and customized clothing inspired by sense of harmony, wellness, self-expression, sustainability and uniqueness. Further, ORTIKA targets the EU2020 employment strategy, EU2020 Growth strategy and New Skills Agenda through the revitalization youth employment in rural areas and the creation of a human-centered business environment. Research and expression of talents are intended as elements that increases the habitability of remote territories while becoming a source of wealth for the individual and society.