Sustainable fashion is gaining more and more relevance, driving more conscious practices that seek to reduce the environmental impact. The circular economy model is presented as a key alternative for reducing waste and reusing resources.
Caxacori, a Peruvian company pioneering in the manufacture of biomaterials, is a prominent example of how the fashion industry can align with these principles.
What is Caxacori Studio and what does it do?
Caxacori focuses on creating products with environmental and social impact, primarily targeting fashion brands and designers looking to add sustainable elements to their collections.
Jorge Cajacuri, CEO and founder of Caxacori, explains: “The footwear that we make helps to preserve the Amazon forest. We do not use any material of animal origin and the products that we manufacture do not contain any animal elements.”
Their philosophy is based on circular economy, where resources are used more efficiently and sustainably. This implies creating products from recycled materials, reducing waste as much as possible and encouraging its reuse.
The circular economy model and sustainable footwear of Caxacori
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting in the world, due in large part to the intensive use of animal and synthetic leather, both of which have a high environmental impact. Faced with this problem, Caxacori is positioned as an alternative that redefines the relationship between production and conservation, designing soles and footwear with social and environmental impact.
Through the development of products derived from the shiringa tree (rubber tree), Caxacori allows families to generate financial income from the forest without the need to cut down trees, contributing to the preservation of their natural environment
Currently, Caxacori promotes the conservation of more than 7 thousand hectares of forest and supports 59 families of the Awajún ethnic group. This model creates a virtuous cycle, where the resources of the forest are used in a sustainable way, generating a positive impact both on the environment and on the economy of the families that depend on it.
Waste-based bioleather design
Caxacori also creates bio-leathers and fashion accessories using waste from the pisco (grape brandy) and wine industries, such as grape peels, as well as from the cacao industry. This material is resistant and soft and meets the technical standards required by the fashion industry. It is a vegan, sustainable bioleather, based on a circular economy model and completely produced in Peru.
Currently, they have two vegan leather lines: Uwatex, designed from grape peels, and Urkara, made with Andean fibers and waste from agricultural industries.
How are recycled materials used?
The use of recycled materials is one of the pillars in Caxacori’s production. The brand found in pomace, a waste from the wine industry, a rich source for the creation of its grape bio-leather.
“Pomace is the peel left when pisco and wine are made. Whereas a large part of this waste becomes a health problem for companies, we take it and transform it into bio-leather,” explains Cajacuri.
The use of pomace is a clear example of how Caxacori applies the principles of circular economy, by taking a by-product that would normally be discarded and transforming it into a useful resource for the manufacture of footwear.
