Javier Goyeneche

Meet Javier Goyeneche

Javier Goyeneche is one of the most cutting-edge, young European businessmen. He bases his business policy on innovation, research, human relationships and the ethical conviction that businesses should grow not only respecting the environment but also doing something to take care of the planet. The prestigious leadership and management forum, Thinkers50, included him on its 2019 talent radar. Javier Goyeneche, was awarded the Schwab Foundation’s social innovators of the year 2020 for revolutionizing the fashion industry and leading the shift towards a sustainable future.

He sold his first company in 2012, the clothing and accessories chain Fun & Basics, and is now putting his efforts into Ecoalf with great success, a project he began in 2009 and which through investment in R&D&I is becoming a global benchmark for sustainability and fashion. His vision involves recycling waste plastic in order to turn it into fabrics and materials that are of the same quality as conventional products. He uses these to make clothing, footwear and accessories that are both attractive and ethical. under the moto “There is no planet B”, Javier Goyeneche and Ecoalf have the fashion industry, the second most polluting in the world.

They currently recycle PET plastic bottles, fishing nets, coffee remnants, used cotton and wool, old tires to create polymers, thread and fabric for their clothes. He is also the creator of the Ecoalf Foundation, which through the Upcycling the Oceans initiative, seeks to remove the trash from the Mediterranean with the help of fishermen on the Levante coast. The materials collected will be turned into pellets, thread, fabric and products. In 2017 they rescued over 250 tons from the seabed, operating in 70 ports and over 3000 fishermen.