The Coconut Knot

 

 

Just the other day, I was craving for coconut milk. Then suddenly a coconut milk vendor passed by, he was selling coconut milk and fresh coconut water, eventually, I chose the latter. I observed how he prepared the coconut water… and I realized that if I would be just getting the water, this in return, will eventually generate waste – the coconut meat, the coconut shell and the coconut husk. Whew, for only over a 100 ml of coconut water, I am adding up waste to the environment. This prompted me to ask the coconut guy to shred the coconut meat for me, which somehow made me feel a little less guilty over solid waste I just generated.

 

The coconut water experienced somehow made think of the purchases I made for the past years… and it made realized that I have been buying shoes, clothes, and accessories a lot. This also made wonder into how these stuffs become goods that I patronize. And it made me asked myself the following questions - how much waste does a single pair of these fancy earrings generate, what materials are my clothes made of, and who am I helping out in purchasing these goods in the process?

 

These questions somehow lead me to the concept of sustainable fashion. The NICE Consumer Framework for Achieving Sustainable Fashion Consumption through Collaboration (2012) study defined sustainable fashion as a dynamic process in developing and implementing design philosophies and business practices for managing triple bottom line impacts. The idea is that every point of the fashion chain- from sourcing of raw materials, to production, to design, to manufacturing, to distribution, to retail, to utilization and until the end of life, has considered the implications it may have on the economy, society and environment.

 

The concept of sustainable fashion somehow made me dig deeper into the coconut as a raw material for sustainable fashion. The coconut husk, which is more or less, the ones that usually would end up in landfills, are processed into coconut fibers that would make up of coco nets, stitched mats - in the form of mattresses, plant liners, planting materials, tufted mats, coir ropes, organic fertilizers and peat blocks. These are the usual coconut products. However, in 2019, a group of senior high school students learned that coconut fiber is the second underdeveloped textile in the Philippines. Having this in mind, these students wanted to incorporate and advocate coconut fiber in the fashion industry. Thus, the Terra Philippines, a start-up business, was born.

 

Terra Philippines manufactures stylish bags out of coconut coir and recycled textiles. The enterprise collaborated with Pilipinas Ecofiber, which has partnerships with coconut farming communities in Camarines Norte, Carmarines Sur and Quezon.

 

Somehow, the initial experience of Terra Philippines, shows how sustainable fashion can start with that single intention of caring for the environment. The sourcing out of coconut materials as a foundation for its bags somehow guided them to tap coconut farming communities in the process. It’s refreshing to learn how a single intent could lead to being a socially responsible enterprise in the process.

 

The concept of sustainable fashion starts with the care for the environment mindset that somehow should be aligned with proper business execution. Sustainable fashion makes an individual think beyond the product. Sustainable fashion encourages consumers to know the story behind the products they patronize. It urges consumers to deep dive into their consumption behavior. The concept of sustainable fashion is intertwined with having a sustainable consumer behavior.