UKFT member LaundRe is a pioneering denim finishing hub soon arriving in the UK to transform unsold brand stocks into new jeans, for full price resale. This new circular service will help extend the lifespan of discarded jeans, instead of sending them into landfill. Scroll down to find out more.

Brands’ warehouses are currently overflowing with unsold denim stocks that are bound for fibre recycling or landfill. Buying large volumes of risky styles which quickly move out of fashion contributes to this excessive waste. Worldwide, approximately 956,000 tonnes of clothes are discarded each year, 10% of which is estimated to be jeans*.

Within this context, brands are facing increasing pressure to move towards circularity and clear their inventories. LaundRe comes in as a UK-based circular solution, both helping brands to reach their circularity targets and reducing the amount of denim products heading to landfill. LaundRe was founded by Salli Deighton, a world leading denim expert who notably worked at M&S, Wrangler, Fat Face and ASOS. Salli commented:

“LaundRe was born from a demand. Post Covid, we received many calls from brands asking for help to refinish stock in the UK.

After spending our careers working with global denim suppliers implementing sustainable practices through laser and eco-wash technology, it was embarrassing to discover that all we had in the UK were scissors and a leaky old washer.

A sustainable, circular, on shore solution for jeans is long overdue.”

Rowan Hunt (CTO of LaundRe) and Salli Deighton (Founder and CEO of LaundRe).

Currently, there is no infrastructure in the UK able to sustainably reprocess or finish jeans, although over 70 million pairs of jeans are sold annually in the country. This is where LaundRe intervenes, from its 5000sq ft site in Canning Town, London. It reprocesses unsold jeans and alters their finish, shade and appearance, preparing them to return to the sales floor.

LaundRe combines laser marking technology, which creates dry processing effects on jeans and adds character to flat finishes, with Ozone technology, which bleaches jeans without using any harmful chemicals while cleaning and sterilising denim. Stonewash finishing processes traditionally require 70 to 100 liters of water for a pair of jeans. LaundRe reduces water consumption by 90%, using the Ozone technology, Nano bubbles and smart machines. Salli said:

“Our team are all experts in the field, having managed factories, built pioneering laundries overseas, designed laundry machines and created new processes delivering sustainable washing on a huge scale for major brands. We want to use all our experience of over two decades to educate, but most importantly, inspire and drive positive change with the next generation.

We will be creating new apprenticeships for new fashion jobs. We need creative laser designers, merchandisers who work with block chain, waste and circularity, denim chemists and scientists working on R&D, biomimicry and the adoption of AI as we grow. 

We have ambitions to not only support the denim industry but to be a UK flagship creating the future technologies which are needed for a carbon negative future.”

Salli Deighton (Founder and CEO of LaundRe)

Several brands and retailers, including Next and I and ME, have already offered letters of intent and are eager to start working with LaundRe.

‘LaundRe is a much-needed resource in the UK which will enable Next to react to small production runs quicker through the clear near shore strategy along with the ability to reprocess markdown lines to more commercial styles. This will help reduce waste along with mark down in our business.’ – NEXT

‘As a SME business owner with a focus on sustainability, I am always looking for partners who can support my brand in driving our footprint down, increasing recycling options and in turn, reduce our waste – LaundRe is the UK’s denim hub that we have been waiting for…’ – I and Me

LaundRe’s website will launch in the coming weeks. In the meantime, discover the hub on Instagram:

LaundRe

*According to Textile 2023 / WRAP.

LaundRe is a member of UKFT. Click on the link below to find out more about our membership:

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