Goodwill Industries International is a nonprofit social enterprise whose primary mission has been charitable giving derived from sales of donated clothes and household items. More than 85% of earned revenue goes directly toward supporting and growing community-based programs and services. They also stand behind an environmental sustainability model of “reuse and repurpose” which helps communities extend the life of items and prevent more items from piling up in local landfills.

For many years, my local Goodwill was the sole destination for many of my secondhand shopping excursions. During these trips to the Goodwill I would score so many unique and even designer pieces. When I was first introduced to thrifting, I was most impressed by the prices of such good clothing that had been discarded by individuals. My friends and I would spend hours combing through racks and racks searching for goodies from decades that had since passed. Genuine leather coats, wool pencil skirts, pussybow blouses all from the 70s, or chunky cable knit sweaters and door knocker earrings from the 90s. The finds were endless, and the prices were the absolute best part. Nothing was more than $4.99, including coats. Times have since changed and I don’t know if we can place blame on the pandemic nor inflation. The cost of “Goodwill” has skyrocketed right before our eyes. The free donations of people giving to the organization are now being sold at a premium price. Now there is even a Goodwill Boutique, which sets the prices of high-end, designer donations on a much higher pricing scale with discounts based on the MSRP.

‘The Bins’ - Goodwill Outlet Stores

If, like me, you’ve been priced out of Goodwill’s retail stores but would like to contribute to creating a positive impact and support their mission, let me introduce you to ‘the bins’ - Goodwill’s outlet stores. This branch of Goodwill stores are set up using bins, rather than regular display racks. Inside these stores the big blue bins are overflowing with clothing, housewares and beyond that weren’t sold at the regular Goodwill stores within 5 weeks allotment. The bins outlet stores are ideal for resellers, upcyclers and overall treasure hunters alike, offering merchandise priced by the pound - often at significantly lower prices than traditional Goodwill retail stores.

Mexico is home to one of the latest sustainable textile innovations - Cactus Leather. Thanks to its semi-arid climate, the country has an abundance of cactus growing. The fast-growing plant doesn’t need water irrigation, nor do its farms use any pesticides. It is a resilient plant that can withstand drought and scorching temperatures. Cactus manages to thrive despite the adverse effects and challenging conditions resulting from climate change. It’s quite adaptable and can sequester carbon into the soil keeping the growing areas fertile. Thus the production of cactus leather makes a significantly lower impact on the environment compared to conventional leather and PVC-based alternatives.

Located in the State of Zacatecas, DESSERTO naturally grows cacti on a 14-acre farm. It is the sole cultivator and manufacturer of this unique cactus leather. Providing sustainability throughout the entire value chain of its product production. USDA-certified, organic cactus is grown there on the grounds of the company, and it is watered only with rainwater. The cactus crops are sustainable for several reasons, including but not limited to access to raw materials, energy-efficient sun drying of the cactus, soil regeneration, and CO2 sequestering capacity.

Focus on NOPAL - The Process

Only the mature leaves of the NOPAL (prickly pear) cactus are harvested, which occurs twice a year (thanks to the plentifulness of the crops). The pads are cleaned, smashed, and left out in the sun to dry for nearly a week. Once dried, the cacti fibers go through a process that extracts a powdered protein, which is eventually mixed with the organic dyes to form a liquid bio-resin formula. And this formula, when combined with a carrier material, forms Cactus leather. There is dried mulch that remains as "waste" from the process, and it’s mostly used as animal feed, but it can be used in other ways such as dietary supplements and to brew beer.

DESSERTO proudly provides plant-based biomaterials as an alternative to animal leathers, that are made from organic renewable compounds. The company is also a USDA Certified Biobased Product, and is V-Label Certified (providing cruelty-free vegan materials).

As for now, the Founders only provide cactus leather as the final product for designers to create their own designs using the plant-based product. However, they are entrusting the resources, responsible innovation, creativity, and financial investments of the fashion industry to bring awareness to all, and eventually rectify its harmful global impact. In efforts to make a broader impact, DESSERTO has teamed up with forward-thinking brands beyond fashion such as Hublot & Mercedes Benz, who have used the bio-material alternative leather as an eco-friendly, cruelty-free solution for their products.

Quantifying Goodwill

Fabric of the Future - Cactus Leather by DESSERTO