D/F – The Finnish textile manufacturer, Pure Waste, Helsinki, has announced the acquisition of Re-Shirt. According to Pure Waste, the take-over addresses one of the biggest challenges in the promotional and event clothing sector: Garments are discarded because the imprinted messages are not suitable for everyday use. The Munich-based start-up, Re-Shirt, has developed and patented an innovative screen-printing dye that can be washed out at 40 °C.
Pure Waste has set itself the goal of producing clothes with a maximum service life and a minimal carbon footprint. By integrating the Re-Shirt-technology, the company is extending its commitment to keeping textiles in circulation for as long as possible. Re-Shirt’s “Magic Ink” printing technology makes it possible to wash textile prints out of clothes so that the message is no longer relevant. This means the garments can continue to be used or reprinted, instead of discarded.
This opens up new opportunities for brands, agencies, designers and printing companies, reported Pure Waste. Temporary campaign or event messages can be combined with a permanent branding. Once the time-limited messages are no longer up-to-date, they are washed out and the garment is kept in circulation long-term. The extended usage of the textiles significantly reduces textile waste and saves water as well as CO₂ emissions – by up to 95% in comparison to clothes that are only worn once due to an obsolete message, the company stated.
After the acquisition, Pure Waste will make the award-winning Re-Shirt technology available to customers and selected partners. Licensing models that enable screen printing shops to integrate Magic Ink into their existing production processes are currently being developed.
Both Pure Waste and Re-Shirt are prize winners of the Green Product Award.
