Pure Waste, a Finnish brand that makes clothes from 100% recycled cotton
| Pure Waste is a Finnish brand that makes ecologically sustainable and 100% recycled clothes, yarns and fabrics.
We talked to Reetta Nissinen, from Pure Waste, to find out more about this project. |
UniPlanet (UP): When and how did Pure Waste Textiles come about?
Pure Waste was originally founded in 2010 for the needs of the Finnish accessories brand called Costo. Costo produces accessories out of leftover fabrics from the textile industry. Because the quantities were small, the founders (Hannes and Anders Bengs, Lauri Köngäs, and Jukka Pesola who joined later) decided to find a way to produce recycled fabric in larger quantities.
UP: Now that you know this reality well, can you tell us a little about fabric waste?
There’s always waste from cutting clips and spinning mills when patterns are cut out of fabrics. As much as 3 million tons of cotton are wasted per year. And that’s enough material to manufacture three T-shirts for every person on this planet. Up to 15% of the cotton intended for clothing is wasted in the manufacturing process – and this is when Pure Waste comes in.
UP: Do you believe that fashion can be sustainable?
We don’t particularly do fashion, because the garments we produce are basic garments, which last years and years. We also have our focus on B-2-B sales, as some of our customers produce fashion. Fashion might not ever be 100% sustainable, but fashion is culture which will probably never fade away. Fashion can be done in a sustainable manner and we can weight our choices in order to make the industry more sustainable.
UP: How do you recycle textile waste?
The raw material is collected, sorted by colour and quality, and mechanically converted back into fibres. Then we mix it with recycled polyester or viscose and spin it into new yarns. After that the process is the same as with virgin materials except that our yarns and fabrics don’t need to be dyed as their colour comes from the textile waste.
UP: Do you believe that nowadays consumers are more concerned about ethical and environmental issues in the fashion industry?
Yes, we believe that consumers are aware of the issues of the fashion industry and nowadays they think twice about the purchase decisions they make.
UP: Can you tell us the meaning of your logo?
The logo is a scarab beetle, which symbolizes the values we believe in – recycling and rebirth.
UP: Where can we find more information about Pure Waste Textiles?
You can go to our website to find out more about our company and visit our store. If you have any questions, you can contact us at [email protected].
