Collaboration with Rester

We are thrilled to present our first products created in close collaboration with Rester. Rester is a Finnish company that enables the recovery of business textiles into new fibre and high-quality raw materials. Business textiles are, e.g., end-of-life workwear, hotel and hospital textiles, or like in Marimekko’s case, side streams of textile production. 

Made partly from textiles recovered directly from Marimekko’s leftover fabric and cutting waste at our textile printing factory and sewing shop, the main material of the Embla T-shirts contains at least 25% recycled cotton-linen fibres regenerated from the production waste. In addition, the products contain 75% organic cotton. These pieces showcase our latest steps towards one of our sustainability goals: to continuously reduce the amount of waste Marimekko generates and contribute to the circular economy through new processes and services.  

Let's break down the numbers a bit: by using 1,000 kg of recovered cotton fiber, Marimekko can save, on average, 1.5 million liters of water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2,000 kg compared to using virgin material. In other words, not only does this recycling process lead waste away from landfills and incinerators, but also helps to conserve existing natural resources by reducing the need for growing and processing new raw materials. 

We are proud that almost 100% of the waste generated at our factory and headquarters is repurposed for energy production or as recycled material for various uses. However, it is not only about repurposing but also putting effort into reducing waste at all points of the process. We are, for example, continually adjusting our design process to increase our products' longevity and reduce the amount of pre-consumer fabric scraps and yarn waste. Every small step counts.