ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a pioneer and innovative case in the textile industry and discusses it in light of waste prevention. The methodological strategy chosen was case studies, using both documents and interviews as sources of information, triangulating them through a qualitative content analysis. The case selected is called “Banco de Tecido” (“Fabric Bank” in free translation), an initiative located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, which promotes the reinsertion into the market of fabrics that would be discarded, returning their economic value. The shop operates as a bank, where clients make deposits, generate credits and make withdrawals – all in fabric. As stated by the founder of the initiative, “fabrics are our product and also our currency”. A few challenges were pointed out regarding the business operation and the articulation of a web of clients and receptors in order to broaden materials circulation. Considering the technical limitations of the textile industry for recycling fabrics that are not cotton or PET, promoting reuse is an interesting strategy towards waste prevention. The revalorization of materials in this context demands no further investment and contributes to a less material economy, making the most of products that have already entered the production-consumption flow.
