Stephanie Benedetto

Meet Stephanie Benedetto @queenofraw, “Our science-based software, Materia MX, drives supply chain efficiencies for more sustainable and profitable businesses, keeping excess inventory out of landfills and turning pollution into profit!”

IRK: Tell us your “Why”?

I’m doing this for my children. I want them to have clean water to drink, clothes that aren’t toxic to wear, and a planet to live on. 

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IRK: What are you most passionate about with respect to taking care of people and the planet? 

I am on a mission to solve the world’s water crisis. And my focus is textiles, which by some accounts is the second biggest polluter in the world of clean water. But that also means that textiles have the power to solve the world’s water crisis if we rethink how we do things.

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IRK: What are some conscious actions you implement in your daily life?

There was this one moment in particular when I was walking my then 3-year-old son, Jacob, down the NYC streets. And of course, it was noisy and loud like NYC is. And I heard something coming out of the stroller. So I leaned in. And all I could hear was, “Are you naked right now? No, because you’re using fabric. It’s everywhere. And it’s polluting your water.” He was doing my 60-second pitch. On the one hand, it probably means I spent too much time practicing that 60-second pitch while pushing the stroller. On the other hand, if he at 3 years old could get it, then anyone could get it. And we can and will change the world. 

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IRK: What’s your hope for the future of the planet? 

By reducing waste, we have already saved over 1 billion gallons of water. That’s enough clean water for 1.4 million people to drink around the world for 3 years. So never doubt that the actions you take can’t change the world!

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What Sustainable Development Goal do you align with the most? (https://sdgs.un.org/goals)

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goal.