Saturday, March 1, from 4 PM at Cecchi Point: The First Event in the Series of City Days Dedicated to Textiles and the Circular Economy

A day to reflect and raise awareness about the environmental and social issues in the textile supply chain, build community, and promote conscious and eco-friendly consumption practices.

On Saturday, March 1, Cecchi Point, the community hub of the Aurora district, will host the first event of “RiVestiTo Live – Speak, Do, Play Circular”, a series of city-wide textile-themed days organized by the RiVestiTo project to engage and educate the public. Each event will focus on exploring and promoting a specific circular practice.

The first event, organized by Mercato Circolare and Atelier Riforma within the RiVestiTo project, together with Swap Party Torino and Casa dell’Ambiente, and in collaboration with CinemAmbiente, Legambiente Metropolitano, and Ortika odv Ets, will focus on the theme #Swap.

The Context

Every year, European citizens purchase almost 26 kg of textiles and discard about 11 kg. In Italy, according to the Foundation for Sustainable Development, in 2022, 5.7% of unsorted waste consisted of textiles—the same year in which separate textile collection became mandatory. However, even when properly disposed of in separate collection, post-consumer textiles are often low quality and difficult to recycle, making it challenging to find the right destination for each garment. Addressing this issue requires making textile collection more sustainable, useful, and transparent, while also reducing textile waste production.

The RiVestiTo Project

RiVestiTo is a project developed by Atelier Riforma, Mercato Circolare, and Huulke, in collaboration with the City of Turin. Funded by the European Climaborough initiative, it aims to track and increase the recovery of textiles collected in the city, connecting and enhancing existing circular reuse initiatives.

The project utilizes two technologies:

• Re4Circular, an AI-powered tool that directs each textile material to the most suitable reuse option
• The Mercato Circolare app, which connects citizens and institutions with local initiatives that give textiles a second life

To further engage the public, the project has organized a series of city-wide events—public awareness-raising opportunities featuring stakeholders actively working on textile reuse.
There will be six events, one per month, each focusing on a different theme:
After swapping, the topic of the March 1 event, upcoming themes will include second-hand, creativity, care, donation, and repair.

Schedule for the First Event

From 4:00 PM – Cecchi Point Courtyard
Swap Party open to everyone, organized by Swap Party Torino. During the event, participants can test Re4Circular technology, using AI to analyze their clothing.

4:15 PM & 5:00 PM – Theater Hall
Two free workshops:

• DIY Solid Deodorant – Learn to make an all-natural deodorant with Ortika odv
• Playing with eRRRando – Discover the 10Rs of circular economy in the textile sector, led by RiVestiTo

6:00 PM – Theater Hall
Presentation of the RiVestiTo project, introduced by Chiara Foglietta, Turin’s Councilor for Ecological and Digital Transition

6:30 PM – Theater Hall
Screening of the documentary “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” by Anna-Maria Dutoit, in collaboration with CinemAmbiente. The film explores the issue of textile waste, with a focus on non-recyclable polyester from fast fashion. It won Best International Short Film at the 2021 CinemAmbiente Festival.

A participatory discussion will follow the screening, featuring representatives from CinemAmbiente, Mercato Circolare, Atelier Riforma, Casa dell’Ambiente, Swap Party Torino, and Legambiente Metropolitano.

Free entry, registration recommended here

RiVestiTo is a project by Atelier Riforma, Mercato Circolare, and Huulke, selected by the City of Turin as part of the Climaborough initiative.

Climaborough is a project co-funded by the European Union and CINEA, aimed at bridging the gap between urban innovation planning and implementation, particularly in response to climate change adaptation and sustainability needs. The initiative helps cities improve their ability to identify, acquire, and implement zero-impact climate services, in line with their urban planning strategies.