Episode 48 – Paraskevi Fotoglou of Camira Fabrics

About Paraskevi Fotoglou

Paraskevi is Sustainability Engineer at Camira Fabrics, a West Yorkshire based textile manufacturing company for task and soft seating, with expertise in circular economy projects and innovative design ideas.

Paraskevi’s principal focus is exploring new sustainability paths and enhancing circular initiatives with the design, innovation and manufacturing teams across the business. At Camira she has developed a broad knowledge on environmental accreditation, VOC emissions, the use of chemical substances used within each stage of fabric manufacture, and the incorporation of sustainable fibres. An exciting venture for 2021 is a project focused on conducting Environmental Product Profiles for both Camira’s natural and synthetic fabric offering, enabling the business to better measure and describe their environmental footprint.

Paraskevi’s background is diverse as she has been living and studying in different countries the last 10 years.  She studied statistics and holds a master’s degree in Economic Development and Sustainability.

About Camira Fabrics

Camira’s circularity journey started in 1998 with a fabric made from recycled military woollen jumpers, this concept was then expanded to include closed and open loop recycled polyester textiles and the latest innovation achievement is the incorporation of plastic sea waste included in the raw material used to manufacture SEAQUAL yarn. The Oceanic fabric range developed by Camira is created entirely from post-consumer recycled plastic, diverting plastic bottles which would usually be destined for landfill, coupled with discarded  plastic debris that is currently floating in our seas (SEAQUAL yarn).

Camira has also received recognition for the pioneering design and manufacture of the Bast Fibre Collection. The bast fibre ranges are made from innovative blends of pure new wool combined with naturally occurring textile fibres derived from harvested nettles, hemp and flax. Aside from the obvious environmental benefits of using such alternative fibres, the blends meet high flammability standards without the use of additional chemicals and without compromising their recyclability at the end of the use.