When fashion acts as a bridge between Tanzania and Italy:Endelea's ethical and colorful collections

Endelea is a brand that designs and produces clothing between Italy and Tanzania, creating value for the community and respecting the environment.

• Endelea is a startup that has created an ethical clothing brand that designs and produces between Italy and Tanzania.
• Endelea's goal is to have carbon neutral and zero waste production and at the same time create value for the African communities involved in production:part of the revenues are in fact reinvested in training and empowerment activities.
• Endelea is part of LifeGate Way, the LifeGate subsidiary that supports and connects startups that combine the ambition of changing the world with the aim of doing so while respecting people and the Planet.

We are in 2018 in Milan when Francesca De Gottardo, after a past in fashion, feels the need to create a project that puts people at the center rather than clothes.It was born like this Endelea, a startups who deals with ethical and sustainable fashion and who works on horseback between Italy and Africa:composed of 85 percent by women, creates Italian-designed clothing and accessories made with traditional African fabrics.The way of doing business of this brand with an international scope it is built ethically at every stage of the production process, putting the people and communities involved in the production, which is entirely African, at the centre.Five years later, Endelea is a benefit company and a company committed to being one of the real actors of change.For these reasons it also became part of LifeGate Way, the ecosystem that supports and connects naturally sustainable startups.

Endelea's approach:tend to zero

Endelea operates according to one approach zero waste:the imperative is to both reduce plastic and minimize the overproduction.Fabric waste, for example, is reused in packaging, while packaging is compostable.Zero is also the reference number for emissions:most of the daily activities in Endelea are indeed carbon neutral.

The countermeasures adopted to achieve this result are the massive use of smart working, adopted 100 percent of the time, and at the same time a training activity that involves workers on the most responsible behaviors to follow at home.As regards the laboratory in Tanzania, located in Dar es Salaam, no machinery, air conditioning or heating is used, and consumption is estimated to only reach 280 kWh per month.

Guarantees for male and female workers

Endelea makes use of the work of tailors and seamstresses, whose remuneration it is 96 percent higher than the average salary in Tanzania:everyone can count on ahealth insurance extendable to their families, free meals and transport as well as courses for professional growth.The brand's mantra, Dream Bold, can in fact be summed up in a concept as simple as it is powerful: develop the fashion industry in Tanzania and create a bridge between Africa and Europe.In addition to reinvesting part of the profits in training, this objective is pursued through the fabrics used: wax, but also the kikoi and the maasai, purchased from local producers or produced exclusively.

Marketing, communication and sales activities are concentrated in Milan:here too we are talking about a predominantly female team, who can count on an equal salary compared to their male colleagues:The gender pay gap in Endelea's staff it is in fact equal, once again, to zero.

E-commerce yes, but by offsetting emissions

Clearly a brand also has a profit motive.Also because, the more Endelea earns, the more it is able to have a positive impact on the communities it involves in Tanzania.A e-commerce, therefore, it is necessary.Its impact comes, however compensated as much as possible:in fact, the option has been active since 2021 Shopify carbon offset, which compensates for each shipment to the end customer.

Compensation is the option sine qua non also for flights Italy-Tanzania of the staff, for whom it is always carried out.The business objective is to reinvest part of the earnings in training for local communities.

Supplier certifications

Endelea uses a network of suppliers as extensive as validated from a sustainability point of view:the brand has in fact mapped more than 100 virtuous suppliers.All Maasai fabrics, for example, are produced by Sunflag, certified Sa 8000:2008, Oeko-Tex, Gots and Ocs while the quilted garments feature padding in Valtherm Eco Line, a fiber obtained from the recycling of PET bottles from an Iso 14021:2016 certified company.There is also no shortage of collaborations with Wfto certified artisan workshops in Tanzania for some traditional fabrics.