Ep.113: Changemaker Winner

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Ep.113: Changemaker Winner

In this episode Clare Woodford, vice president, sustainability and impact at Alpine Creations discusses the company’s Changemaker Award win.

WTiN: Hi Clare, thank you for joining me today on the WTiN textile innovation podcast, and congratulations on winning the change maker award with the dignity kits. Please could you tell me a bit about the about the winning innovation?

Woodford: Yes, sure. I mean, I think it's important to start with the why, before we get to the story of what the innovation actually is. And I think you know for us, we recognize that menstruation is a natural process, yet a shocking 800 million females worldwide actually lack access to sanitary protection, which, you know, really highlights a severe global issue which is otherwise known as period poverty. And I think, you know, poor menstrual health and hygiene, it affects educational outcomes, social mobility, physical and mental health and economic outcomes for females globally, and as an end to end, fashion manufacturer Alpine group aims to combat period poverty by essentially diverting post-industrial textile waste from the garment manufacturing process to create what we call the dignity kits. So these kits equip vulnerable women and girls with essential sanitary supplies, and they are also complemented by reproductive health education from the dignity kits program that we run. And I think you know for us, this initiative really aims to make a positive impact on females from rural Africa to the most challenging refugee settings in conflict zones worldwide. And of course, the program is strengthened and amplified by our partnerships with organizations like freedom for girls and locally where we manufacture in Egypt, for example, the Egyptian clothing bank too. And I think it's a program that's absolutely integral to our threading the future sustainability strategy whereby we're really aiming to revolutionize the fashion industry.

WTiN: Great. That is really interesting. And I didn't actually know some of those statistics. Thank you, and obviously you touched upon it then. But could you tell me how this fills a gap in the textile industry? Like, what gap does your innovation address? Because obviously, period Poverty isn't something that we automatically link with the textile industry.

Woodford: Yes, of course, I think, you know, I'm super passionate about this initiative on a personal level, because it really tackles two major issues. Of course, one of them, as we just mentioned, was period poverty, but the other one is also the huge challenge we have in the industry of, what do we do with textile waste. And obviously we're very familiar with the fact that a lot of textile waste ends up in Landfall or unfortunately going out into the oceans and waterways as well. So I think you know, first of all, it's providing an affordable, reasonable solution to menstrual hygiene for vulnerable women and girls. But it also offers a model for sustainable textile waste management by you know, as I say, repurposing post-industrial textile waste. So it also covers those sort of two pillars within our strategy of both people and environments. So it's something that we're very passionate about continuing to grow as an initiative and take it to other regions as well.

WTiN: And how do you see it disrupting the industry? I can see quite clearly how it's sets itself apart from other products on the market. But if you could just expand on that, that'd be amazing.

I think it disrupts the industry in a number of ways. I think, you know, first of all, when it comes to textile waste, as I've said, we know it's a huge problem for the industry. And you know, one of our core objectives is looking at how we, you know, reduce our waste and divert waste from landfill, which I think should be something that all brands and all suppliers, or, sorry, which I think is something all brands and all manufacturers should also be prioritizing as well. So first of all, a creative way to divert that textile waste that obviously allows us to benefit females and girls as well, but it also demonstrates that sustainability can be aligned with social impact to create that lasting change that we're looking to deliver back to females globally. But it also offers a replicable model for sorry, it also offers a replicable model. It also offers a replicable model for other manufacturers to follow, and obviously that addresses both waste and community needs. And I think it also helps encourage a shift in mindset towards responsible production and meaningful collaborations as well. And I think one of our sort of proof points of success for this program going forwards is we would like to see other Textile and Apparel manufacturers follow suit and creating a similar dignity kits program as well. Does that help answer that question?

WTiN: Thank you. Winning the Innovate textile awards is a huge achievement. We were so happy to see this. What does the recognition? Sorry, what does this recognition mean to you and your team?

Woodford: Yeah, I mean, well, thank you too for recognizing us and the efforts we've put into creating and building the dignity kits program. I think it very much first of all validated years of effort of developing a socially impactful solution. And as I said, I think it also provides a platform to expand the program and for us to form new partnerships with new charity organizations so we can expand the program as well. I'd love to see the program expand out into Asia Pacific and perhaps even expand into regions like the US to where we also know that period of poverty is a challenge. But you know, on a personal level, and when it comes to my team, it really motivates us to push forward, as I say, to grow the program and work towards achieving our UN commitment maker's goal of impacting a minimum of 250,000 women and girls globally.

WTiN: So how have you collaborated with any key partners, institutions or brands, to bring the dignity kits to life, and how did those collaborations shape the final product? Yes.

Woodford: I mean, I think when it comes to taking feedback, I think the sort of first and foremost important feedback that we actually actively seek and receive is actually from the beneficiaries of our dignity kits. I think that's been really critical in improving the design and comfort of the kits over the years. And actually, back in 2023 I was lucky enough to go on one of the trips. Sorry, I was lucky enough to go on one of the distribution kits to Kenya with our partner, freedom for girls, where, first of all, I could see the amazing impact of this program, but second of all, I could take part in asking the females for feedback on our actual dignity kits. And I think that has been very important to allowing us to improve the kits over time. At the moment we are providing the absorbent liners we do provide underwear for the girls and as a group, we also invest in the snaps to keep the kits together.

I think also receiving this feedback allows us to assess the program's impact and also, as I say, identify areas for improvement. So actually, before the intervention, when we were on the ground in Kenya, 84.9% of the females that we surveyed were using makeshift materials like cloth or mattress bits for their periods, which obviously caused leaking soreness, and actually the girls had limited mobility because of it. However, after using our kits, 100% of the females gave positive feedback. And I think you know, even those who had previously used commercial pads found the new ones useful, good or great. And I think you know, when it comes to the impact, what we love to hear is that they also reported improvement in confidence, comfort, reduced worry, and improved focus, and it actually increases participation in schools as well. So I think you know, for us, understanding how we can improve the kits, but how those kits are also benefiting the girls, is important. And from a customer's perspective. Of course, this is an initiative that we share with them as well. It started by, actually us using the scraps of a neckline of a T shirt we were producing for Walmart. And actually Sam's Club recycled nine on legging is now a big factor of how we're a big fabric that we use in this program as well. So again, talking to them about how we're looking to upcycle their fabrics is really important because I think it's a great message they can play back to their consumers as well.

WTiN: That's super interesting. Thank you. And what was the biggest hurdle you faced while you were developing the dignity kits, and how did you overcome that?

Woodford: I think, first of all, you know, there's actually some complexities that you wouldn't necessarily consider when you're developing something like a period product. And I think that includes, you know, you've got a lot of fabrics you can choose from, but actually some of these fabrics don't necessarily have the right absorbency levels. So even understanding the complexities of developing a menstruation product, what those absorbency levels look like, how can you make sure you're reaching those absorbency levels with the fabrics that you're choosing? How do you then apply that to your production calendar across the year to make sure that you're using the right fabrics. I think that was certainly one of the hurdles that we face. But, you know, we now understand that a lot more and know which fabrics we can use for this particular program. That's not to say we don't use other fabrics for other great upcycling initiatives that we have. I think other challenges are actually quite practical challenge, like complex logistics. When you're looking to ship these dignity kits to foreign countries like Kenya and I think also, how do make sure we align our partnerships across different regional hurdles, sorry, different regions.

WTiN: And what advice would you give to aspiring innovators hoping to make a mark in the textile industry?

Woodford: Well, that's a great question. I would say, first of all, focus on identifying real world problems that can be solved through sustainable innovation. So you know, there's a real need for what you're looking to achieve out there. But I also think building strong partnerships and having a strong ecosystem around you that can support you on your journey of innovation. Is also really important, as is being open to feedback for continuous improvement, you know. And as I say, we are continually improving the work we are doing with our dignity kits, but also stay committed. You know, it's not always easy. You can face challenges and barriers. Is when it comes to creating social environmental impact.

WTiN: And finally, Clare, what would you like the broader industry to understand about the importance of innovation in textiles today, especially in regard to textile repurposing, recycling and sustainability?

Woodford: I think you know, first of all, innovation is absolutely essential for the industry, not only for environmental sustainability, but also for social progress as well. And I think you know, the textile industry has an absolute responsibility to reduce waste and create products that uplift communities. And I think you know, collaborative innovations like the dignity kits can certainly help drive the industry towards a more equitable future.

WTiN: Amazing. Thank you so much. And thank you for joining me today on WTiN textile innovation podcast. And congratulations again on winning our Changemaker award.

Woodford: Thank you so much.