Innovation

While the textile industry is necessary, it has a dark side. For example, it takes on average 2,700 liters of water to make a T-shirt, due to the harvesting of cotton and its manufacture. Since water is running out, this waste is alarming.

This is not all. One step in the clothing making process, known as cutting, consists of cutting out the different shapes of the clothes before assembling them. During this stage, between 10% and 20% of the fabric is trashed, directly impacting the environment.

This is where Hopaal intervenes. They recover these fabric scraps from the surrounding mills and mill them mechanically, bringing them back to their primary cotton fibers. Having been shortened by grinding, it becomes difficult to make a thread. The cotton fibers are then mixed with longer polyester fibers to make the yarn more resistant. The polyester has also been recycled and comes from used plastic bottles collected locally in the wild. This recycling process has a positive impact on nature because it creates new products from waste. Finally, Hopaal also recreates fabric scraps during cutting. These scraps are given to a local manufacturer who turns them into household products such as towels, tea towels, and carpets.

Inspiration

The idea to create a responsible clothing brand came very suddenly, although both founders have long been concerned about the environment. Indeed, they were inspired by inspiring people and brands to set up their business.

A first inspiration came from the book "Let My People Go Surfing" by Yves Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia. He tells the story of his life as a climber, a lover of nature, and how he came to market high-quality clothing designed for extreme use at competitive prices. Their clothes, such as jackets, pants, shirts, are often made from recycled plastic bottles.

In 2001, Chouinard founded "1% For the Planet," an association of companies that agree to devote 1% of their turnover to environmental projects. The major problem with this system is transparency since many companies do not communicate enough, if at all, on their actions based on the association's goals, say Hopaal's founders. To overcome this problem, Hopaal's second inspiration was to let each customer donate 10% of the price of their purchase to a social or environmental cause.

Their third inspiration came from the book "Delivering Happiness" by Tony Hsieh. He tells the story of Zappos and how he decided to move from a logic of maximizing profits to a logic of service to customers. Hopaal also positions itself on a logic where human emotions have a place in purchases: they want to transform a simple purchasing act into one of commitment. They are looking for other ways to conceive their company and society in its productive dimension while respecting the different dimensions of man and sustainable development.

Overall impact

The business is a full player in all three aspects of sustainable development: environmental, economic, and social. First, they have low water impact. Second, they participate in the global and local economy by creating jobs in India where employees are paid 20% to 30% more than the normal salary. They also enhance the well-being of global society by helping third world patients and entrepreneurs. Third, they protect the environment by engaging with four associations all pursuing an environmental or ecological objective.

Business benefit

Hopaal's customers are very concerned about the planet and sustainable development, and the company's concept has been very well received by the market. Although it is still a start-up, they have managed to sell more than 600 T-shirts, 137 tote bags and 15 mugs monthly. During their crowdfunding campaign in June 2016, they managed to raise more than 22,000 euros, well above their initial target of 6,000 euros, and they had to stop collecting new orders to ensure they could honor the old ones.

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Social and environmental benefit

When purchasing customers choose what goal they want to support, Hopaal offers a palette of four organizations that should quickly expand:

- Coral Guardian replants corals in the seas of Indonesia.

- Watsi connects donors and patients in developing countries who can not afford the medical treatment they need.

- Mountain Wilderness collects waste in the mountains.

- Babyloan is an association that supports Third World micro-entrepreneurs and helps them develop their ideas and their businesses.

Maulave notes that "10% is huge but this is the minimum you can do. These are simple, concrete and necessary missions. At Hopaal, we do not perceive this as a loss of profit but as a sign of respect for man and nature."

To date, the Hopaal community has helped two microentrepreneurs in Latin America, has treated three people in Cambodia and Africa, has collected 15,000 tons of waste around the Granon pass in the French Alps, and has transplanted more than 20 cuttings of corals into Indonesia.

Secondly, it is certified by the "Fair Wear Foundation" on international standards on social and environmental rights for paying its employees 20% to 30% more than the minimum wage in India.

Thirdly, their entire business model is oriented towards respect for the environment. For example the manufacturing plant works integrally with green energy such as wind and solar panels. The company uses several certifications such as "Organic Blended Content Standard" that guarantees the traceability and the integrity of the raw materials during all stages of manufacture. Finally, the Hopaal dyeing is Oeko Tex certified.

Interview

Clément Maulavé, One founder