It's an innovation inspired by tradition: graphite is today wasted in vast quantities by the tech industry, but the Romans used to rely on it to dye their own fabrics thousands of years ago. Could this modern-day waste become then a raw material in a new, circular supply chain to offer the fashion industry an alternative to chemical dyes and tech companies an up-cycling solution to their by-products?
g_pwdr® was the answer to this question. A product which gives fabrics a shade of grey as unique as its manufacturing process and a particularly soft hand. Why? Because graphite happens to be a natural lubricant as well.
An innovation fully made in Italy which has granted the first product to rely on it the Best of the Best 2017 Award and the RedDot Design Award.
g_pwdr® is a product of Perpetua® we had to invent it developed in synergy with WRÅD.
g_pwdr® is a water based solution composed of wasted graphite powder.
Graphite is a crystalline allotrope of carbon. It is non-toxic, odourless and tasteless.
Tests conducted on g_pwdr® revealed the product contains no hazardous constituents following Directive 1999/45/EC and/or Regulation (EC) 1272/2008.
Furthermore g_pwdr® is not considered dangerous to human health and the environment following Directive 67/548/EC and / or Regulation (EC) 1272/2008.
Graphite powder, an inevitable by-product of the production process of electrodes by tech companies for to the aero-space industry, is collected before its dismissal in landfills and then converted into g_pwdr®.
g_pwdr® can be used to dye and print all types of fabrics and fibres.
Pushing for a new order of sustainable action. Incessant truth seekers, our raw state is our rad state. Is freedom alienation from today's insanity, or the act of taking responsibility?
is an innovative process for denim dyeing derived from the combination of g_pwdr® with KITOTEX Save The Water by PureDenim. It's simple, smart, scaleable, and highly beneficial from an environmental standpoint. Here is how it works:
1) threads are sized with chitosan, a natural polymer extracted from the processing of food waste, which polymerises the fibres improving their mechanical strength.
2) chitosan-treated threads are weaved into denim fabric; the chitosan treatment improves the fabric capability to absorb pigments.
3) g_pwdr® is applied to dye the fabric without the need to add water or chemicals. The wasted graphite powder naturally bonds with the fabric giving it its staple shade of grey.
4) the fabric is left to dry. No intermediate rinsing or finishing process in between the dye and dry stage is needed as no toxic pigments or chemicals were used throughout the process.
We chose the latter. Planted a small seed in 2015 and been en route for #LivableChange ever since.
Perpetua® presents, for the first time ever, at the Berlin Fashion Week, the g_pwdr® technology.
From January 16 to January 18, at the Berlin Fashion Week, he Perpetua team will showcase the latest innovation when it comes to environmental sustainability and energy saving: g_pwdr® technology.
