INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS IN THE PRODUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES: ORANGE FIBER S.R.L.

One of the sectors with the greatest impact on the environment is the fashion industry, due to mismanagement of resources. This paper aims to describe the Orange Fiber case study, a Sicilian firm that uses cellulose extracted from 'Pastazzo', the citrus by-product, to obtain sustainable luxury fabrics. In addition to describing the stages of the production process and the technological innovation in the company, it was proposed the certification of environmental management systems according to international ISO 14001 standards within the company. In particular, the phases of environmental policy, and the application of the Deming cycle to the innovative start-up were explored. From the point of view of industrial symbiosis, the paper therefore proposes the idea of transforming a waste from the agro-food industry into a raw material in an environmentally impactful sector; this could represent an innovative idea in the application of circular economy principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]