Touchpoint makes its workwear suitable for recycling: “Reuse is considered as early as the design stage”

“Touchpoint was born in 2008 when our founders became frustrated with the environmental effects of the textile industry. They wanted to make clothes in a more sustainable way and drew on their previous experience in the field of workwear.

We manufacture environmentally friendly workwear and look after its recycling. In practice, this means that we aim to make the clothes using materials made from recycled fibre, advise our customers on how to use and care for them, and take back workwear that is no longer used and make it into new fibre. We can calculate for every customer how much they will reduce their emissions and energy and water consumption when the materials are replaced with a more environmentally friendly alternative.

We consider the reuse of materials even when designing the product. The best workwear to recycle is as simple as possible – the fewer blends and materials the product contains, the easier it is to recycle and use as new raw material. Every detail, zip and button in the clothes must serve a purpose.

I came to Touchpoint from Reima, so I already had prior experience of working in a textile firm and knew the process in the sector. However, workwear is a world of its own because it has to meet the criteria of the sector, be extremely durable and be suitable for a large group of users.

In the past two and a half years, I have learned an immense amount about different fibres and the usability of materials. I am still motivated by the same inspiration provided by meaningful work and developing something new, which originally attracted me to Touchpoint.

Workwear will be used even more efficiently now that the textile processing plant in Paimio has opened..Touchpoint is the principal owner of Rester Oy, which runs the factory. In the processing plant, discarded workwear will be made into new fibre for clothes. I am especially inspired by and proud of this project. I think it shows our persistence and determination to solve these huge challenges in our industry.

When Touchpoint was founded, responsibility was something completely new in the field of workwear and the company was quite clearly a pioneer. Our next goal is to develop carbon-neutral products and close the loop in the recycling of workwear. In future, we want all the clothes we deliver to return to us in the end and that way be reused as textile products.”