Be a part of the solution, not the problem

The future is in our hands. 

By 2025, all European Union member states will be required to collect textile waste separately. Because our consumption habits have changed, the textile industry has become the second biggest industrial polluter. We consume 400% more textiles than we did 20 years ago. All that comes at an environmental cost. This has to change. Our habits have to change. And we can only do it collectively if each one of us puts in the effort.

Up until now, we’ve mostly given consumers the option to buy industrially upcycled shirts as a solution to close the loop. We’ve developed the innovative UPMADE® upcycling design & production system which allows industries to turn excess pre-consumer materials into garments which present savings in water, CO2 and energy usage. But now we’re ready to officially present a new option, focusing solely on you – the consumer. 

Local upcycling – less textile waste, more product

We know – sometimes it can be hard to let go of our favourite t-shirt. Mostly because it is still in a good shape, but got a stain on it suddenly, or a hole by getting stuck somewhere. However, that does not mean that their lifecycle has to end! They still have a lot to give. That’s why we have decided to introduce the locally upcycled up-shirt. An up-shirt custom made by you! 

This is what you have to do: choose three t-shirts from your wardrobe, pick one of our up-shirt designs (arrow, bird, moon, or diamond) and let us know which part of your old t-shirt you want to have where on your new shirt. And that’s that! Now you’ve got yourself a new, custom made up-shirt. 

You still might wonder why we’re doing this. It’s simple – to reduce textile waste and give you another choice on how to make a change by making a simple choice. If we, as consumers, don’t change our consumption habits, nothing will change. 

Be part of the solution, not the problem.

For our journey, on changing consumption patterns, we’ve partnered up with friends here in Estonia. Eiki Nestor, politician and former Speaker of the Riigikogu, Priit Põldoja, Chairman of Supervisory Board and Founder of Inbank, Kristel Kruustük, founder of Testlio, Tuuli Roosma, a TV journalist, Tõnis Niinemets, actor, and Ursula Ratasepp-Oja, actor. All personalities working in different fields, but united by something common. To make the future greener. To be part of the solution, not the problem. 

We invited our friends over to capture their up-shirt, too. As you can see, they’re all posing with… themselves. What’s the point you might wonder. Well, if you look closely, these aren’t the same type of up-shirts. Each person wears one industrially upcycled up-shirt and one locally upcycled up-shirt. Both choices are kind to the planet and give you the option to consume consciously.

Now that we've introduced the locally upcycled up-shirt, let's talk about the price and conditions for ordering. The price for the locally upcycled up-shirt is 72€ and you can choose between four designs: the arrow, the bird, the moon, or the diamond. 

As you see, the price is higher than for the industrially upcycled up-shirts. Why? Because the up-shirt itself already takes five hours to make plus the company’s added value including know-how and expertise, branding, and the company’s fixed and variable costs. 

We believe it is also important to understand that this is an option, besides industrially upcycled up-shirts, one can choose to reduce textile waste – a problem we're passionately on a mission to solve. However, the cold hard truth is that we can't do it alone. We need your help. The first great step you can make is to choose an up-shirt and the second step depends on your preference – an industrially upcycled up-shirt if you wish to buy a gdbrand new shirt or a locally upcycled up-shirt if you're just not ready to let go of your old ones. 

So, let's become a part of the solution step by step, up-shirt by up-shirt.

Take a look at our range of industrially upcycled up-shirts for women here and men here. If you want a custom made locally upcycled up-shirt, write to us at hello@reetaus.com!