Maria Czarnecka

It is estimated that out of the 400 billion square meters of fabric produced each year, 60 billion square meters end up on the cutting room floor — as waste. When disposed of in landfill, the dyes and chemicals in these offcuts can leach into the soil, contaminating both surface and groundwater. Maria wants to use them instead. Every piece of material, this young changemaker from Poland believes, should be treated with care, even the smallest offcut. With her project, she plans to turn leftover materials collected from local designers and manufacturers into products: cloths, rugs, slippers, toys. DIY kits with selected offcuts and instructions on how to use will get non-experts involved. Offcuts are an overlooked problem in the fashion industry, Maria thinks; it’s time to help both producers and buyers make a more sustainable choice.