Milestones in the Pure Waste Story
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Milestones
Pure Waste began in 2010, when five friends set out to develop textiles made entirely from recycled fibres. The early years were focused on testing materials, production methods and potential manufacturing partners.
After several years of development, Pure Waste Textiles Oy was founded in Helsinki in 2013. The aim was to use textile waste as a raw material and mechanically recycle it into fibres, yarns, fabrics and eventually finished garments.
In 2014, the first Pure Waste T-shirt was produced. A broader clothing range followed, establishing recycled textile fibres as a central part of the company's product development.
Over the years, Pure Waste has expanded from material development into consumer clothing, B2B garments, textile projects and collaborations. The milestones below highlight some of the projects, partnerships and developments that have shaped that journey.
2014 — The First T-Shirt
Our early material development included experiments with recycled denim in China. As the project developed, we began looking for a manufacturing partner capable of producing recycled textiles and garments at a larger scale.
We found that partner in India, where production developed under the direction of Mr Wenkat. This photograph from 2014 shows him holding one of the first Pure Waste T-shirts at the former factory in Palladam.
The first T-shirt marked an important transition for Pure Waste: from developing recycled textile materials to turning those materials into finished everyday garments.
2014 — Waste Side Story
During Helsinki Design Week in 2014, we organised the first Waste Side Story fashion show.
The event brought together Finnish designers and showcased different ways of using Pure Waste fabrics in clothing. It was also an opportunity to discuss textile waste and recycled materials with a wider audience.
Waste Side Story became one of the early public showcases of Pure Waste materials and garment development.
2015 — The Pure Waste Concept Store
The Pure Waste Concept Store opened at Yrjönkatu 34 in Helsinki in May 2015.
The store brought Pure Waste garments directly to consumers and included T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jeans and collaborative products using recycled textile materials.
For a company that had started with material development only a few years earlier, the store marked the transition to a broader consumer clothing brand.
Expanding to Germany
Pure Waste's connections to Germany originally developed through Costo, the hat and accessories brand founded by members of the same team.
Pure Waste later began developing the German market with a local partner, particularly within B2B sales. The collaboration introduced Pure Waste garments and recycled textile materials to new business customers outside Finland.
2019 — Pure Waste in Japan
After earlier experience in the Japanese market through Costo, Pure Waste had explored opportunities in Japan for several years.
In 2019, Pure Waste began working with Sanyei Corporation. The collaboration included developing Japan-specific fits and distributing Pure Waste garments for retail, wholesale and B2B customers in Japan.
The partnership represented an important step in adapting Pure Waste products for a market with different sizing and product requirements.
2019 — Post Waste
In 2019, Pure Waste launched the Post Waste collection, introducing post-consumer textile fibres into selected garments.
The collection was made from recycled fibres, with 20% of the material coming from discarded and worn garments. The remaining recycled material included fibres derived from other textile and material streams.
The project explored how post-consumer textiles could become a raw material for new clothing and formed part of Pure Waste's longer-term work with textile-to-textile recycling.
2021 — Sitra's Circular Economy List
In 2021, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra included Pure Waste in its “Most Interesting Companies in the Circular Economy in Finland 2.1” list.
The list featured 41 Finnish companies selected to demonstrate different circular economy business models. Sitra highlighted Pure Waste's work with recycled textile materials and the development of circular textile solutions.
2019–2021 — Rester and Textile Recycling in Finland
Pure Waste was one of the founding partners of Rester Oy, established in 2019 to develop industrial-scale textile recycling in Finland. Pure Wasten oma aiempi materiaali ja Aalto Universityn Kuituus-projekti tukevat tätä perustajaroolia.
Rester's textile recycling facility in Paimio opened in 2021. The facility processes end-of-life textiles and industrial textile side streams mechanically into recycled fibre that can be used as raw material in new products.
For Pure Waste, participation in Rester connected years of work with recycled textile materials to the development of textile recycling infrastructure in Finland.
2021 — A Category in Eetti's Brand Ranking
In its 2021 Ränkkää brändi assessment, Finnish NGO Eetti evaluated 34 Finnish clothing brands on climate, environmental and human rights responsibility as well as transparency.
Pure Waste was one of seven brands placed in the highest A category that year.
The result is a historical assessment from 2021 and reflects the criteria and information used by Eetti at that time.
2022 — The Drops Collection
In 2022, Pure Waste introduced the Drops collection.
Rather than following a traditional seasonal collection structure, Drops products were released in smaller batches during the year. Changing colours, new fits and limited availability differentiated the collection from the permanent product range.
Drops also provided a way to introduce new garment shapes, materials and colours alongside Pure Waste's established everyday products.
2022 — Honourable Mention in Suomen Vastuullisin Tuote
Pure Waste T-shirts and long-sleeved shirts were selected as finalists in the Suomen Vastuullisin Tuote 2022 competition.
The expert panel awarded the Pure Waste products an honourable mention. The overall competition winner was Järki Särki. InFine Insight
The recognition forms part of Pure Waste's history of developing garments using recycled textile materials.
Looking Forward
Many people, companies, organisations, designers and production partners have contributed to Pure Waste's development over the years.
What began as an attempt to develop textiles from recycled fibres has grown into work spanning materials, garments, textile recycling, B2B production and collaborations.
As Pure Waste continues to develop its products and materials, the focus remains on understanding the materials we use, improving the way they are applied in textile products and communicating product information as clearly as possible.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey.