[imagesource:deviantart]

One of the biggest obstacles to buying second-hand clothing is the thought of who wore it last.

The ‘ick’ factor has always been a thorn in the ‘re-commerce’ side, but a new startup has solved the problem for shoppers who increasingly want to buy second-hand clothes, and for companies who want to build profitable businesses around used clothing or goods. Already major companies like Patagonia, New Balance, and The North Face are buying into the idea.

TERSUS Solutions offers a proprietary technology that “restores pre-loved clothes to a near-new state” using a “waterless” process that employs liquefied carbon dioxide to clean clothes with less environmental impact. They call it their “Cleaning as a Service.”

TERSUS CEO Peter Whitcomb says their solution “reduces the stigma around second-hand clothes and helps to build profitable businesses that turn second-life apparel and footwear into new revenue streams”.

Companies send used clothing to TERSUS, where it’s loaded into industrial washers that, on their face, look like your standard washing machine. “They just happen to use CO2 as the main solvent to clean versus water,” Whitcomb said. The method has been found to be less destructive and more effective, uses significantly less electricity, and no water.

“We pipe the CO2 in, and at pressure, CO2 turns to a liquid state,” Whitcomb explained. In that state, it has low surface tension and viscosity, meaning it can easily move through the pores of just about any textile. Whitcomb says it can clean “a leather boot, a down jacket, and everything in between” to remove dirt, oils, and other contaminants.

When the CO2 washing machines depressurize, the CO2 returns to its gas state. This, in turn, dries the textiles that are being washed. “Garments go in dry and then they come out dry,” Whitcomb said. “It’s kind of this magical moment when stuff comes off. … There’s a bit of a wow factor.”

Many brands prefer to throw out worn and returned clothing because it is deemed less costly to just trash it than to repair it. As a result, about 80% of clothes end up in a landfill or incinerator while just 15% get recycled. Just look at those shocking images of an enormous and ever-growing pile of discarded clothing that is sitting in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

Our innovative cleantech utilizes CO2 as a byproduct from industrial waste. Our LCO2 cleaning solution is 100% waterless and requires zero dry time. The result? We saved 386K gallons of water + 185K KWH of energy in 2020 alone! pic.twitter.com/ByRDjtMjZF

— TERSUS (@TERSUSSolutions) October 8, 2021

The potential for industrial clothing is equally huge, with firefighters now also using TERSUS’ process to remove harmful substances from their gear. When firefighters exit a burning building, their clothes are often covered in per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are linked to cancer and other major health issues.

“Our technology removes over 98% [of carcinogens] whereas, water-based methods are maybe 50% or 60%,” Whitcomb said.

A study conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University backs up Whitcomb’s claim.

“Every cycle we’re running, we’re saving roughly 300 gallons of water,” Whitcomb said. That adds up fast. “Last year we saved over 4 million gallons of water, which is equivalent to nine Olympic swimming pools.”

“Younger generations not only are seeking this, they’re starting to demand the brands take responsibility for the production of their product and the ownership of their product at the end of its life. If you’re Nike, if you’re Adidas, you probably should start to think about how you play in the space — there’s a big opportunity there to respond to the consumer expectation.”

[source:thecooldown]