Maria Laura Manfredi
GIULIA VILLA
Nicole Bassi
Daria Maria Ludovica Moretto
Ludovica Mori
Sara Vailati
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore)
Riccardo Torelli
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SEAY is an innovative start-up created by a group of people who share the same values of this project and are able to obtain remarkable results.
In 2021 they were able to obtain the B CORP certification and they also created the RE3 model which is very appreciated and used by other companies. Indeed, they classified as the Italian brand with the highest score in its category.
This has been achieved thanks to the great synergy and spirit of collaboration of the group.
One of SEAY's most innovative aspects is the Re3 model: it is a circular economy system engineered by SEAY to reduce the environmental impact of used garments (#9 SDG).
Re3 is a "return" model, usable by both physical and online stores.
This innovative model is based on the idea that consumers already have garments in their wardrobes and one of the possible options is to throw them away.
Those clothes can still have a life: for this reason, SEAY has defined this model where the customer can bring a used item and they will receive an immediate 20% discount.
The clothes delivered to the shop can be used in different ways: they can be sold as used or donated to charities, or they can be recycled and become material used to produce other objects.
Technology plays a key role in supporting this model because “it allows us to be clear about what we do”; in fact, thanks to the QR code, the customer can see how his/her "old" garment is being used.
The Re3 project, linked to circularity, has been successful to the point that SEAY has also begun selling the Re3 service to other companies, such as Liu Jo and Giorgio Armani.
Moreover, this model was patented and another company, also called Re3, was set up to operate the service for others.
Furthermore, this service is useful, because soon there will be a regulatory requirement issued by the European community.
“Thanks to RE3, each person who participates can reduce the environmental impact of their wardrobe by 30%, in terms of CO2 emissions and water consumption.” said Alberto.
Re3 represents an added value for SEAY, both from the point of view of differentiation, as it is a one-of-a-kind project, and it generates an additional cash flow, as it is sold to other companies.
Another innovative aspect of SEAY is the organization of work: thanks to technology, this company manages to operate efficiently and effectively, despite only having eleven employees being spread not only in Italy, but also throughout the world.
The company was founded in 2019 following a corporate restructuring of the company that Alberto, the founder, previously worked at. He tried to manage this in a positive way and knowing the problems behind industrial production, attempted to create a reality that has the least possible impact on the environment (#12 SDG).
SEAY seeks to use materials that have the lowest possible impact because they worry about the end of life of their products. This is why they created the RE3 model and have built their distribution system to limit CO2 emissions.
They have made an effort to build a product identity aiming to have the least impact on the environment, while maintaining the quality and beauty of the product as well as the history and ideals behind it.
Alberto stated that “The difference between a company that adopts efficient systems and one that doesn’t is considerable, regarding the environmental impact”.
The concept of reducing impact and being sustainable are similar but different, this is due to the fact no company involved in the textile sector can totally cut out their impact but can set out to reduce it, avoiding waste.
The effects of the short-term innovation are remarkable, despite the company still being a small reality.
The first short-term target consists of production, that is entirely made locally. They use materials that have a low environmental impact and take care of the end-of-life of the products they sell, developing a second-hand return model.
The patented RE3 model has become a paid service that can be sold to other companies. As a result, thanks to this additional source of income, SEAY can maximize it’s profits.
This allowed other companies to become more careful about their environmental impact, by getting closer to the sustainability world without any in-hose efforts for them.
Moreover, in the few years in which the company operated, they were able to make their stakeholders aware of environmental projects conducted every year.
Regarding the long-term effects, their goal is to deliver new innovative systems in order to impact at high levels. Today it is very difficult to bring up big environmental issues for a company as small as SEAY; that is why their purpose is to engage more and more people, making them aware by creating new solutions and alternatives to use.
The SEAY project started with only two people in 2019, today eleven employees (inside the company the majority of employees are women in accordance with SDG #5) operate in the company. Their target, in terms of volume, is to triple each year the results of the previous one.
SEAY is constantly growing thanks to internal and external stakeholders who fully share the company’s ethics and values.
Regarding the benefits brought to the company, technology certainly offers the possibility of adopting a "non-traditional" working system, in fact most employees work remotely for most of the time, not only from different parts of Italy, but of the world.
In periods when the workload is high, employees try to gather in the office to be more efficient.
The growth of the brand has led to the implementation of a co-branding project with North Shore, a store based in Milan that sells accessories for skaters and surfers.
The RE3 project works so well that the idea has been patented, a new company has been created that only deals with this project and sells the service, now even large companies buy this service.
The start-up has received several awards for the work it is doing, in 2020 it became a Benefit company and in 2021 it obtained the B Corporation certification. B-Corporation is a private certification, conferred by a global non-profit organization (B lab) of for-profit companies of their "social and environmental performance."
SEAY got the highest score in Italy (107 points out of minimum score of 80) thanks to the engagement around its social and environmental impact and ethics.
SEAY's innovations bring various benefits both to society, mainly by improving the living and working conditions of employees, and to the environment.
The functions that are not performed directly in Vicenza, where the company is based, are the design area and the IT platform (the digital function and the one related to the company website).
Giving employees the ability to work remotely is a great advantage because it allows them to manage their work and time in a better way.
Also, some functions can be performed better in certain places, for instance the design manager doesn't work in the company's warehouse, but in the place he is most inspired.
Having employees spread all over the world is a clear sign that the company has a solid organization and that both the owner and the employees have developed a strong bond of teamwork, and this is in favor of the whole company environment.
Another society benefit is represented by the fact that the leader, Alberto, in order to improve the quality of life and the solidity of his team, usually organizes awareness raising projects for his employees. An example, mentioned in the interview, is a day dedicated to cleaning up Venice, in order to preserve life below water (#14 SDG).
Experiences of this kind allow the creation of a special bond between employees and certainly a better quality of life.
Furthermore, the company brings benefits trying to produce in a sustainable way, using the RE3 model and growing more in order to engage people in a more responsible way of shopping. They are creating change by beginning with small gestures of awareness.
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Alberto Bressan, Founder
Carlotta Mondini, Sales Manager
SEAY S.R.L SOCIETÀ BENEFIT designs, produces and distributes sustainable clothing and low environmental impact beachwear using certified materials, a short supply chain and a marketing plan that raises the consumer’s environmental awareness by aiming for a close circular economic system through their Re3 Model.