Palingen is an Italian social startup founded in 2019, in Naples, active in the ethical and sustainable fashion industry.

Specifically, Palingen is currently managing an ethical and sustainable fashion laboratory inside a female prison with the objective of empowering disadvantaged women by upskilling them in the art of Italian tailoring. In addition, being aware of the negative impact of the fashion industry on the environment, they are managing their fashion laboratory with an innovative and sustainable approach, by upcycling leftover fabrics.

In this respect, they regularly employ and remunerate 8 inmates of the Pozzuoli female correctional facility to provide them a second chance by facilitating their reintroduction in society and they mainly work leftover fabrics since they believe that upcycling is the most efficient form of sustainability. It is estimated that 10% is the recidivism rate for prisoners that participate in work programs. On the contrary, the rate rises up to 90% for the ones that did not follow any program. Also, it is estimated that less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new textiles.

Their approach allows them to have a positive social impact within our community, helping disadvantaged women to enter the labor market, as well as to positively contribute to the protection of the environment, by reducing textile waste and pollution.

you can find out more at their website or on their instagram page.