Almudena Cerezo—a designer from the Spanish region of Navarra, now based in Galicia—walked away from a world whose essence and way of operating left her disillusioned. But closing that door allowed her to open a much bigger one, culminating in the birth of her project, Materia Botánica: a quiet revolution in sustainable textiles, rooted in the soil, the seasons, and the belief that fashion should never outlive the planet. 

Launched in Galicia with the help of a textile research grant, Materia Botánica is both a clothing line and a living laboratory. Almudena hand-dyes wool garments using pigments extracted from agricultural waste, like discarded onion skins, walnut shells, or artichoke leaves. The result is a biodegradable garment with no synthetic fibers, no toxic dyes, and no environmental cost at the end of its life cycle. 

“From the beginning, our guiding principle was the pursuit of true sustainability. To create a product with natural and local materials, reusing waste, supporting small workshops in our community, and creating a fully biodegradable product that, at the end of its lifecycle, could nourish the earth.” 

With over 2.2 billion tonnes of waste produced each year across the European Union, there is an urgent need for transformative and local initiatives like Materia Botánica. Embracing circular economy models offers a promising path forward, as they help reduce environmental damage and promote more responsible use of natural resources. 

In the Mediterranean, the urgency for adopting circular economy strategies is heightened by pressing sustainability issues, yet the path to implementation is complex. The Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat emphasizes that building a green circular economy in the region demands coordinated efforts from a wide range of actors, including government bodies, businesses, researchers, and civil society organizations, making the transition a collective and multifaceted challenge. 

In the case of Materia Botánica, the shift to plant-based dyes came after Almudena encountered a startling statistic: if the entire fashion industry used traditional natural dyes, we’d need three-quarters of the Earth’s land to produce enough color. “That was a wake-up call. The solution couldn’t just be ‘natural,’ it had to be regenerative,” she explains. That’s when her research turned to waste as a resource. 

Today, Materia Botánica operates at a small scale, with each piece manually crafted and dyed. It’s a solo effort, but one deeply supported by a network of local farmers, artists, and allies who believe in Almudena’s vision. 

The journey has been long, but it has brought meaningful milestones. Seven months ago, she launched her online shop and earlier this year, she completed an artistic residency at a contemporary art center.  

Looking ahead, Almudena remains optimistic. “I think sustainability needs both regulation and education. We have to challenge greenwashing, but also teach people why it matters,” she says. “Small-scale makers, even the tiniest local artisans, are essential. They carry culture, balance, and resilience.” 

Her advice to future green entrepreneurs is clear: “Trust your path, build your network, and above all, be patient.” 

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