Innovation

The solution that GreenWrld offers entails the recycling of what would be discarded clothing. GreenWrld sells fashionable clothing products made from older clothes, fabrics, and materials. By sourcing from thrift stores and other second-hand stores, Maddy Doane and her company procures the discarded clothes, cuts and sews the articles together to make new fashionable pieces of clothing to sell to the public. By reducing the need for new fabric and production, Maddy utilizes resources that are reusable in nature, and repurposed. By making one item unrepeated, there is no mass production of millions of products, such as those for fast-fashion brands. She uses a sewing machine to stitch together her work to create the finished product. Although not a new concept, Maddy is continuing to grow awareness of sustainable clothing and practices.

GreenWrld mainly works on the social media platform, Instagram. It is a for-profit business in the U.S. that utilizes second hand clothing and materials to create new and sustainable products. The CEO of the company is Maddy Doane. It is a small entrepreneurial startup operating virtually through the company website and social media page, only consisting of a few employees, but has a large following base. Maddy Doane is a college student at UCLA and a track and field runner. She spends most of her time building GreenWrld and hopes to continue to grow her business for years to come. As CEO, Maddy manages sourcing, producing, creating, shipping, marketing, and selling on her online website.

All items from GreenWrld are second-hand sourced and repurposed so that they are an original and one of a kind innovation. GreenWrld runs on a bidding system, so her customers decide themselves how much the piece she made was worth and whether or not they wish to purchase this unique item. Currently, Maddy has repurposed over 1,000 items.

Based on an initial interview with Maddy, the innovation GreenWrld has successfully supported is SDG #12 Responsible Consumption and Production. Her company promotes inclusive and sustainable consumption and production of her products. After the pandemic, it was difficult for small businesses to remain afloat. For Maddy, her business flourished in the virtual environment. She had more time to find second hand pieces to launch her business and has successfully kept it growing. She has gathered a larger target audience that wants to purchase sustainable and handmade products. Stores such as Forever21 had to close many of their stores during the pandemic, but many small businesses transferred to more sustainable and affordable products that can replace chains such as Shein which have been in the spotlight for violating child labor laws.

Maddy highlights the importance of her own hard work in creating the brand, and is combatting the toxic fashion industry. This innovation is a benefit to society because the entrepreneurial tasks are meant to benefit not only the business, but the planet. It allows another avenue through which we can recycle clothing and prevent us from producing more waste. As her business grows, Maddy will continue to implement sustainable practices to grow her business and bring awareness to the changes companies should make in producing their products.

Inspiration

Maddy Doane, the CEO of GreenWrld, explains her inspiration to launch her company. In her initial interview with our group, she described how the quarantine and the COVID-19 pandemic made her want to explore her creative outlet. While stuck at home, Maddy would hand embroider items and sell them. She found that people were attracted to the idea of uniqueness and having a piece no one else could acquire. She emphasizes that “Not one item can be created the same again” (Doane). She learned how to sew and began to design clothing using a variety of pieces she acquired second-hand through thrift stores, consignment stores, etc. As her business grew, her Instagram and website launched, and now has over 31,000 supporters.

Maddy believes that responsible consumption and production is a priority for her company. While many fast fashion brands produce clothing and are essentially “greenwashing” (a term coined to describe companies that preach their sustainability measures without evidence of any of it being done), Maddy provides different sources to stand by her brand. Many of the items are repurposed from famous brands such as Nike, Adidas, Carhartt, etc. and transformed into new comfortable, streetwear items.

She went on to mention that the clothing she makes is considered more than a materialistic item that can be purchased for a base price. “Every item I make I consider an art piece. I am inspired by creativity, and want my customers to have a piece no one else has. The best way to sell the art piece for what it is worth is to let the customer decide how much they want it and what they are willing to pay.” (Doane). By providing customers with pieces that are unrepeated, Maddy hopes that consumers will be driven to continue to shop sustainably.

Overall impact

GreenWrld is an environmentally friendly company that aims to spread more awareness on the harmful effects of fast fashion and educate consumers about environmental sustainability through resourcing clothing. While eliminating toxic, fast fashion-brands, consumers can target responsible consumption and production, as well as many other environmentally friendly tactics to support the earth's resources.

The short term effects of the innovation is to reduce the volume of clothes going to landfill and polluting the environment. Maddy incorporates this by purchasing her inventory through second-hand stores and old pieces. She notes, “I wanted to reduce clothing just being thrown away and going to landfills. It is a waste of the product” (Doane). By doing this, she additionally doesn't contribute to consumption of heavily procured products and continues to limit the amount of fabric and material wasted.

The long term effects of GreenWrld is to contribute to the sustainability community and provide an option for people to buy quality refurbished clothing that in turn will benefit the environment. Maddy has built a large following base through her social media, up to 31,000 supporters, and uses it to grow awareness of the toxicity of greenwashing shopping and fast-fashion. Although GreenWrld is a relatively new company, items released are always in high demand and sold out which shows that consumers support the company's mission.

Business benefit

This innovation has benefited the business in ways Maddy never imagined. GreenWrld's repurposing of one of a kind clothing has significantly transformed Maddy’s life. It has provided her with creative outlets and innovated a new way of making clothing that helps the environment at the same time.

The business started online, reaching numerous consumers globally, and has increased significantly over time. By functioning remotely, the business is very interactive and transparent with its customers, leading to happier customers who then go and spread the word about the company. Because this business is so unique, there aren’t many competitors in her community. Most others want to target a higher consumer reach for sustainable, affordable streetwear rather than one unique piece per customer at a time. All the designs have their own style and the main purpose behind each piece is that there is nothing else in the world like it. This uniqueness is what allowed Maddy’s business to flourish and continue growing throughout quarantine. Maddy also enjoys her work allowing herself to be even more committed and motivated to the business.

Social and environmental benefit

This innovation benefits the environment because it allows the reduction of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses emissions. By single-handedly producing all the pieces, she omits the use of mass production much like fast-fashion brands that need to produce in bulk. She also reworks items that have already been produced, and uses those items as many times as she can for different pieces. Her creativity has driven to make a bigger impact on the environment than she expected. By designing pieces that her supporters love, they are looking for more sustainable fashion brands and stopped shopping at fast-fashion stores.

GreenWrld is part of a community that believes that every item is sold with a purpose, and its mission is to spread awareness of the tremendous impact small businesses such as hers may have. It is environmentally friendly, provides an asset to the environment, and is also sourced online which provides a high consumer reach. Maddy’s business also creates awareness regarding the harm of fast fashion, and creates an impact for Maddy’s consumers to provide for the environment. In addition to that, Maddy’s clothing brand allows consumers to shop the latest fashion trends without harming the earth because all clothing is made sustainably.

Interview

Maddy Doane, Founder and CEO