Highlights of 2024
The year 2024 has tested the Finnish fashion industry, and our journey has not been without its challenges either. However, as we close out the year, we can proudly say that we are still here – and this is thanks to our customers!
In this blog post, we want to share the most significant moments of the year and reflect on how we’ve progressed towards making the fashion industry more sustainable, now and in the years to come.
International Growth and Long-term B2B Partnerships
Over the year, we had the privilege of serving 270 b2b clients from 14 different countries. Our customer base includes a range of organizations from various sectors—companies, associations, events, and hobby groups. We have produced a range of workwear, customized corporate gifts, merchandise, and private label collections for our customers, offering a long-lasting and sustainable option.
We started the year expanding our distribution in the European market through our partnership with Cotton Classics, a major European textile distributor. As a new partner, we participated for the first time in the Cotton Classics Roadshow, bringing us together with industry professionals across Europe. Not only did we build valuable connections, but we also received consistent positive feedback on the quality of our products.
A major highlight for us this year was seeing the clothes we produced for the Rukka brand, in collaboration with Luhta Sportswear Company, worn by the Finnish Olympic team at the Paris Olympics.
In addition to new partnerships, we were excited to continue our long-standing collaborations with many of our loyal clients. Our 10-year journey with the SLUSH start-up event is an excellent example of a lasting partnership. Over the years, we’ve produced workwear for volunteers at SLUSH and co-created exclusive merchandise for the event.
Prints and Photoshoots
We also developed our online store selection based on customer feedback.
In the spring, we launched our first on-demand print collection, inspired by spring pioneers in nature. The shirts are printed on demand at a print studio located alongside our warehouse. This model allows us to better cater to our customers' specific product preferences while efficiently using our stock.
In the summer, we expanded our print collection with an artist collaboration, launching a line designed with photographer and artist Kreetta Järvenpää. Kreetta’s flower-themed artwork added a fresh and unique dimension to our collection, and our collaboration will continue into 2025.
As autumn arrived, we needed to update the photos for our online store. We value diversity in our imagery and want to offer opportunities for people with no previous modeling experience. So, this time, we decided to search for models directly from our customers, and we were thrilled to discover several wonderful faces. The photoshoots were held in Helsinki in December, and we look forward to updating the new images on our website as we enter the new year.
Development and Digital Innovation
The EU's textile strategy will require businesses to increase sustainability and transparency, and we are committed to stay at the forefront of the development.
The Telavalue project, a Business Finland Co-Innovation project was completed in July. The project aimed to solve challenges in the textile industry through circular economy models. Our involvement in this project yielded valuable insights and results that we will apply in the future in terms of materials, new business models, and digital solutions.
We have also been preparing for the upcoming EU Ecodesign Regulation and the digital product passport it will require. In 2024, we took a significant step towards implementing the product passport by signing an agreement with Second Thought Ltd. As Jukka Pesola, CEO of Pure Waste, said: “Pure Waste aims for future solutions that lead the market. We want to offer our customers even broader information about our products and respond to upcoming legislation regarding the digital product passport and sustainability data.”
Thank You
Another major highlight of the year was receiving the Green Product Award, a prestigious recognition given to leaders in their industries. The award celebrates and supports the transition towards sustainability. We were incredibly proud to receive this recognition for advancing sustainability in the fashion industry at the NEONYT gala in Düsseldorf.
However, the greatest reward of 2024 was having our customers by our side. While awards are a meaningful acknowledgment of our efforts, it’s even more important that our customers have found our products to be of high quality and significance. Alongside the celebratory moments, our everyday life has been filled with thousands of online orders and hundreds of b2b orders—and each of them has been invaluable to us. It's for you that we do this work.
Thank you for an amazing year!
The Pure Waste Team
