Innovation

Ucycle was born in 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, the founders – Carmela and Tati Fortuna – were already working in the fashion industry. However, the founders quickly realized something was wrong with the fashion industry. Not only is there an unhealthy demand for products, but products are also in use for much shorter. This was especially true for company uniforms in the Philippines, which are thrown and discarded only after one year of service. Following this realization, the founders decided to quit their jobs and team up to create Ucycle.

Starting with the idea of incorporating circularity in fashion, the company has since developed to become the first in its industry to offer a circular model that creates end-to-end solutions for its products. Today, Ucycle specializes in designing and manufacturing sustainably-made corporate workwear and other clothing items while providing its clients with a take-back system that allows them to return, repurpose, and recycle the materials used. Moreover, they use lower-impact fabric alternatives such as repurposed, recycled, or natural fibers to create clothing that is stylish and “high-quality, designed out of necessity, and serves a function…” according to Ucycle’s founder.

Through the company’s 3R program, Ucycle’s clients can also return old uniforms, fabrics, and textiles that can transform into repurposed products that are equally valuable for reuse. As part of Ucycle’s active commitment to SDG 12, the company also manufactures its products locally and partners with local communities and artisans for various projects.

Altogether, Ucycle does more than help its clients look great. Ucycle also aims to “encourage their clients to adopt sustainable practices” by offering them the help and services needed to make it easier, according to Carmela. In turn, Ucycle creates a win-win situation for all its stakeholders by balancing people, planet, and profit while prolonging the life and value of uniforms, workwear, and corporate wear of the businesses they interact with.

Ucycle's business innovation diagram.

Inspiration

Right after graduating from college, Carmela started working for Uniqlo. The pandemic prompted her to think about what other career opportunities she may explore. She added, "During the pandemic, I was thinking about my life at one point. I had an existential crisis where I started questioning my values." Soon after leaving Uniqlo, her mother invited her to partner in a startup focusing on sustainable workwear. This was also Carmela's first time hearing the idea of the word circularity and implementing this idea in setting up a company. This caught the interest of Carmela, wherein a company that designs and manufactures can also allow companies to return their uniforms for them to be recycled and repurposed. Carmela's mother always had a future-forward mindset. She has been an entrepreneur for most of her life and is well-experienced in the fashion industry. With the proposed idea from her mother, Carmela expanded the business idea even further. As such, she took up online courses on the concept of circularity and sustainability. Finally, in May 2021, Ucycle was established.

The inspiration to create Ucycle was the duo's shared passion and appreciation for fashion. However, offering sustainability in the industry motivated them to put up a purpose-led business. Apart from this, the pandemic served as an opportunity for them to change the future of fashion. Quoting Carmela, "It became more important for the customers the sense of sustainability and waste management, so it was a good opportunity to become the first mover in that industry."

Overall impact

“The future of fashion… Using sustainability as sort of like a common shared value– that people now realize is necessary… especially in the hospitality industry.” - Carmela Fortuna.

The innovative model that Ucycle has offers them a first-mover advantage. More so at a time wherein, most firms are seeking ways to adopt sustainable practices. They make it easy for other businesses to be part of the movement with their sustainably designed and manufactured products. It is apparent that the business also impacts the environment and society at large. Employing Filipino workers to be part of their team is in line with their objective. Hence, providing a livelihood for the local workforce. It is significant as most manufacturers would turn to other countries such as China, Taiwan, or Vietnam for cheaper manufacturing costs.

Furthermore, the innovative process is rooted in the principles of the circular economy. It is designing products that exclude waste and pollution. In essence, it prolongs the product’s life and regenerates the natural system in the process. This model promotes responsible consumption and production and is their action toward fulfilling SDG #12.

An example of how they achieved their mission is with one of their first clients, Hilton and Sheraton hotels in Manila. They repurposed the old bedsheets from the hotel and transformed them into pajamas that guests can use. Ucylcle enabled their clients to repurpose an existing resource they would dispose of otherwise.

Looking at it from a short-term perspective, Ucycle provides the Philippine market with a convenient way to obtain sustainable clothing items and services that extend to the end-of-life phases. More than that, their long-term objective is to push the Philippine fashion industry forward sustainably. As they grow, they promise to maintain consistency by sticking to their mission with each new client and product. Ultimately, they see themselves achieving their purpose as authentically and passionately as they can.

Business benefit

The gap in the Philippine fashion industry with the forward-thinking mindset between the mother and daughter paved the way for a business model that is impactful on multiple levels. The company doesn’t limit itself to venturing into circularity for its products. It also does so to circularity for its services.

Their innovation is evident in their process. In the early stages of collaboration with their clients, they provide a range of recycled, repurposed, or natural fabrics for their functional yet stylish clothing products. Moreover, their unique 3R program also helps provide added value to old products and textiles of their customers, thereby helping them incorporate sustainability into their practices.

They can form long-term relationships with their clients while also building brand loyalty. They gain a competitive advantage as the first business that offers other organizations this type of product and service. Carmela states: “We make it convenient for them (clients) to switch to this alternative (sustainably-made clothing options).” The company has worked with more than 18 brands since it began in 2021.

They acknowledge that switching to more sustainable clothing choices can be a hassle and expensive. Hence, the founders made it a point to provide their clients with a more convenient and viable option. Their clients can experience a seamless collaboration process through availing of their products and services. Moreover, they price themselves competitively so that their clients can avoid incurring too many costs as they choose to make the more sustainable option.

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Social and environmental benefit

“Success, aside from commercial success, is also about contributing to society in a way that we are accountable and responsible for what we put out and at the same time educating clients that can also share this story with their family and friends,” said Carmela.

Ucycle is a signatory to the 2020 Circular Fashion Pledge and fulfills all three promises. They recognize fashion’s crucial contribution to climate change, toxic waterways and ocean pollutants, land use, and more, and also acknowledge the culture of fast fashion. Most importantly, they bind themselves to take specific actions to solve environmental problems and to lead the industry toward a circular fashion economy.

Another concrete example of Ucycle’s impact is its receipt of a Plastic Offset Certificate from Plastic Bank— an organization empowering regenerative society and dedicated to stopping ocean plastic globally. The organization recognized Ucycle for preventing 1,000 kilograms or 50,000 plastic bottles from entering the ocean last 2021. Through these undertakings of Ucycle, the actual and transformative impact of the brand on a societal and environmental level is visible. The company consistently matches its actions with its promises to be a game changer in the industry as the leading sustainable designer and manufacturer of clothing.

Interview

Carmela Fortuna, Co-founder and Managing Director