Starting and running a successful business can be hard, especially when you are young, but with the right mindset and intentions, one can do wonders. With the rise in online thrift stores and demand for pre-loved clothes, the young generation is surely starting to contribute towards supporting the retail industry and creating a positive impact on the environment. Shloka Sajdeh is one such individual who believes in recycling and upcycling clothing items to prevent them from being tossed into landfills.
“Taking care of the environment comes above everything else for me,” she says, and promotes the same through her brand “I Am So Wasted”. The company is also Global Recycle Standard Certified and India’s first fully sustainable global brand. Well, her ideas and efforts have indeed made us believe that ‘GREEN’ should be a state of mind and each one of us should pitch in to make REDUCE, REUSE, AND RECYCLE a daily habit!
In this conversation with Storiyaan, Shloka shares with us her journey of sustainable management, how she manages to balance between her student and work-life, and how you too, can play a role in saving the planet.
Shloka Sajdeh- All About Sustainable Fashion
Interview
Questions and answers
What led your approaches towards leading a sustainable management journey and how did it start?
I come from a 3rd generation business family, one that has always been into textile sustainability. Their work led me to understand the impact of our actions on the environment and motivated me to join their work in the sustainability of textiles. I believe it is my generation that will bring about a change in the thinking of generations to come with respect to what we buy and how we consume. With this thought in mind, ‘I Am So Wasted’ a comprehensive B2C platform for fully sustainable products was born.
What is the main mantra that is followed in I Am So Wasted and how do you manage to maintain it?
Here, at I Am So Wasted, green is a state of mind, and sustainable management with zero-waste is the mantra. Our endeavor is to spread the benefits of helping the environment through our brand and also convey that recycling and upcycling are fashionable, fun, and responsible.
What are your ways to help the environment benefit through your brand?
With every t-shirt made, new life is given to textiles and PET bottles. Every product helps make India a cleaner and greener place. One t-shirt saves 1500 liters of water, countless emissions of carbon dioxide, takes back textiles and PET bottles from landfills, and reduces one’s overall carbon footprint. Every upcycled and recycled bag replaces 100 plastic bags each year.
Certified under Global Recycled Standard, what are the products and processes that fall under I am wasted?
Our Global Recycle Standard Certification enables us to manufacture products that are recycled and upcycled from pre/post-consumer textiles and PET bottles. This includes a wide range of products such as apparel, accessories, and home textiles.
Share with us one such clientele review which has boosted your professional journey and has a deep impact?
It’s difficult to just name a single review as all our customers tell us that our t-shirts are soft, comfortable, and affordable, and our other products are of great quality for a reasonable and affordable price. They also tell us how happy it makes them purchase eco-friendly products. All these reviews deeply motivate us to continue with our professional journey and spread the benefits of eco and sustainable fashion.
What were some of the hurdles you had to overcome in the initial days of your journey and how did you manage to get over them?
Beginning this journey in a pandemic was a major hurdle in reaching a wider audience. Being one of the first GRS-certified brands in India was also a challenge. We managed to overcome these problems by creating impact-driven content on social media, giving preference to creating awareness about the environmental impact of our products.
Your brand is under Texool-Authentic, which is considered one of the most remarkable companies. What would be your say on that and how content do you feel?
Being supported by Texool-Authentic has helped make I Am So Wasted a reality. Their work over the last 50 years in the recycling and upcycling of textiles has been unparalleled and saved millions of our precious resources. Sustainability is a joint effort and together, we are able to reach out to more people each day.
Elucidate us through the ways our interested readers can reach out to I am wasted.
Since you are also a student, how do you manage your work and academics in a balanced manner?
Without our planet – work, academics, and even living would not be possible. I believe that we need to take care of our environment, which is why it comes above everything else for me. Being passionate about the cause has enabled me to balance my work-study life. Helping others begin their sustainable fashion journey has always encouraged me as well.
What life mantra or message do you want to live for our readers?
Sustainable living is not one-size-fits-all. It is imperfect and a continuous work in progress, so don’t worry if you cannot be 100% zero-waste but start taking steps toward it. And remember, we at I Am So Wasted, are here to help you through it. Every small action has an impact on our planet. Carry a cloth bag, water bottle, and straw with you wherever you go and avoid plastic as much as you can.
Quick 5
1. Sustainable fashion to you is?: The present and future – fashion that has a positive impact on our ecosystem.
2. A pet-peeve of running a brand: Social Media never sleeps, so neither do you.
3. Texool to you is?: Foundation of the eco-fashion brand – I Am So Wasted.
4. Your proudest milestone: With every product sold we save countless liters of water, carbon dioxide and help others reduce their carbon footprint, and that number increases every day!
5. A major benefit of recycling: Recycling conserves our natural resources and reduces pollution