Rester

What Rester does

Rester is a Finnish textile recycling company founded in 2019 that operates the largest mechanical textile recycling facility in Northern Europe, with 11,000 tons of annual capacity at its Paimio plant (operational since November 2021). The company processes end-of-life business textiles — including workwear, hotel linens, industrial textiles, and production side streams — into recycled fibers through a proprietary mechanical process that cuts textiles into patches and opens them back to fiber level via tearing machinery, using minimal water and chemicals. Output is engineered into three fiber grades: nonwoven fibers for technical applications, spinnable fibers for textile-to-textile use, and short fibers for industrial products. Rester holds Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification, REACH-compliant material sourcing, and offers ISO 14040/14044 life cycle assessments to customers.

The company operates two commercial models: closed-loop recycling (where the customer's own textile waste is returned as fiber for that customer's manufacturing, as in the Marimekko Embla T-shirt and Touchpoint ReTouch fabric partnerships) and open-loop recycling (processing partner material for third-party manufacturers). Go-to-market is direct enterprise B2B sales via multi-year contracts with pricing tied to annual volume and material quality, supported by warehouses in Turku (Finland) and Rydboholm (Sweden) for Nordic collection. Key enterprise customers include Lindström, Klopman, Vuonue, Södra/OnceMore, Marimekko, Touchpoint, Elis, Vileda Professional, Orneule, EcoUp, and Sverre W. Monsen, spanning textile services, manufacturing, fashion, and construction materials.

Rester has raised EUR 10.9 million across two funding rounds (EUR 6M in June 2022 led by Lindström, EUR 4.9M in January 2025) from strategic and financial investors including Lindström, Tesi, Taaleri, and Besodos Investors. The company is majority-owned by Touchpoint Oy (an ecological workwear manufacturer) and is led by CEO Jukka Pesola (appointed August 2025), a co-founder of Pure Waste Textiles. Geographic reach spans Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark with broader European ambitions, supported by partnerships with The Loop Factory (nonwovens) and VTT (MaxComp composites project).

Name

Rester

Legal name

Rester Oy

Website

https://rester.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rester is a Finnish mechanical textile recycling company founded in 2019 that converts end-of-life business textiles — workwear, linens, industrial side streams — into recycled fibers at its 11,000-ton Paimio facility, serving enterprise customers across Nordic and European textile, fashion, and construction markets via closed-loop and open-loop service models.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Textile Recycling Services

NAICS

Nonwoven Fabric Mills (31323), Fabric Mills (3132), Textile Mills (313)

SIC

Textile Mill Products (2200)

akta.pro primary industry

Mechanical Fiber Recycling (Shredding/Open-End/Re-fiberization) (IMAOAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Textile & Apparel Recycling and Sorting (Non-E-waste) (BPALADAL), Industrial Laundry & Textile Waste Services (Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAI), Recycled Textile Compounding & Nonwoven Reprocessing (Insulation/Felts/Geotextiles) (IMAOAMAH)

Keywords

• Mechanical textile recycling
• Recycled textile fibers
• Circular textile economy
• Fiber opening technology
• Closed-loop recycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Paimio

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Textile Recycling Services: Rester processes companies' end-of-life textiles and production side streams into recycled fibers. The company accepts large-scale deliveries of pre- and post-consumer textile waste from companies. Terms and conditions are agreed in contracts between Rester and companies. The company has warehouses in south-western Finland and western Sweden for material collection.
2. Recycled Fiber Sales: Rester produces and sells mechanically recycled textile fibers for various industrial purposes including nonwoven materials, spinnable fibers for textile-to-textile use, and short fibers for technical applications. Fibers are engineered to meet specific performance requirements for different industries including textiles, construction, and composites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rester operates the largest mechanical textile recycling facility in Northern Europe (annual capacity 11,000 tons) at its Paimio plant. The company accepts large-scale deliveries of pre- and post-consumer business textile waste from companies and processes them into three categories of recycled fibers: nonwoven fibers, spinnable fibers for textile-to-textile applications, and short fibers for technical applications. Services are delivered through both closed-loop recycling (customer's own material returned to their manufacturing) and open-loop recycling (processed materials for third-party manufacturers).

Product overview

Rester is a Finnish textile recycling company offering a comprehensive suite of services centred on mechanical recycling of end-of-life business textiles into high-quality recycled fibers. The company's core offering consists of three main fiber product categories: nonwoven fibers (for technical applications such as carded nonwovens, needled and hydroentangled fabrics, and airlay/thermobonded nonwovens), spinnable fibers (for yarn production and textile-to-textile recycling), and short fibers (for various industrial applications). Rester delivers these through two service models: closed-loop recycling (where the customer's own textiles are processed back into fiber for their manufacturing) and open-loop recycling (where materials are processed for third-party use). The company complements its core recycling operations with test run services, co-development partnerships for tailored fiber solutions, and LCA calculations according to ISO 14040/14044 standards. Rester's facilities in Paimio, Finland and Rydboholm, Sweden process up to 11,000 tons annually, making it the largest textile recycling facility in Northern Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical Textile Recycling Core recycling service that processes end-of-life business textiles and production side streams into recycled fibers using a proprietary mechanical process that cuts textiles into patches and opens them back to fiber level through tearing, with minimal water and chemical use.
• Nonwoven Fibers Recycled fibers engineered for the production of carded nonwovens bonded by needling or hydroentanglement, or in airlay and thermobonded nonwovens for technical applications.
• Spinnable Fibers Recycled fibers suitable for yarn production and textile-to-textile applications, enabling creation of new fabrics from recovered materials.
• Short Fibers Short recycled fibers used in various applications including nonwovens and other products where fossil or virgin fibers are used to bring specific qualities.
• Closed-Loop Recycling Service Service model where the customer's own material is opened into fiber for use in the customer's own manufacturing, enabling complete circularity for business textiles.
• Open-Loop Recycling Service Service model where materials from Rester's partners are processed to produce fibers for third-party manufacturers, creating open-loop material flows in the circular economy.
• Test Run Services Service to help clients evaluate recycled fiber suitability for their specific applications before committing to larger scale production.
• Co-Development Services Collaborative service with clients to develop tailored recycled fiber solutions that meet specific performance requirements and replace virgin fibers in innovative technical applications.
• LCA Calculations Life Cycle Assessment calculations according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 for main materials, providing clients with CO2-equivalent and water consumption data to support sustainability claims.

Quantifiable outcome

• Per 1000 kg of recovered Polyester/Cotton fiber: saves on average 525,000 liters of water and reduces greenhouse gas emissions (CO2-ekv.) by 2,500 kg
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MaxComp Project (VTT)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Business Finland co-innovation project led by VTT. Develops high-performance fibre-based composites with lower environmental impact. Rester contributes recycled textile fibers for demanding industrial applications in construction, vehicles, furniture, packaging, and defence.
• The Loop FactorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Strategic partnership to revolutionize textile recycling at scale. Combines Rester's fiber-opening expertise and capacity with The Loop Factory's nonwoven technologies. Creates a knowledge centre in the Nordic market for industrial transformation with innovative nonwoven applications. The Loop Factory was founded in 2015 and specializes in sustainable and circular materials and technology solutions.
• TouchpointcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Touchpoint is founder and majority owner of Rester. Collaboration produced ReTouch fabric containing >10% recycled fiber from end-of-life workwear. Touchpoint is a Nordic pioneer of sustainable workwear services, founded in 2008.
• Orneule OyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022Finland's largest knitwear manufacturer collaborated with Rester to develop knitting yarn from recycled fibers. Successfully produced knitwear-suitable yarn from Rester's recycled cotton fibers. Ongoing product development partnership.
• OnceMore (Södra)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Partnership with Södra's OnceMore process targeting 25,000 tpy textile waste processing by 2025. Rester provides efficient collection point for clients in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Closing the loop for business textiles in the Nordic market.
• Elis (Sweden)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Swedish textile service company Elis collaborates with Rester to recycle end-of-life workwear into new textile fibers. As of 2022, Elis sent over 8.8 tonnes of textiles for recycling, with plans for expanded collaboration.
• MarimekkocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Closed-loop collaboration where Marimekko's production waste from textile printing factory and sewing shop in Helsinki is recycled into new fibers by Rester. First products (Embla T-shirts) contain 25% recycled cotton-linen fibers from Marimekko's own production waste.
• Sverre W. MonsenminorOthers · 1 December 2021Norwegian textile manufacturer collects and sends end-of-life textiles to Rester for recycling. As of 2022, collected and sent over 22 tonnes of discarded textiles. Partnership signed December 2021.
• Vileda ProfessionalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2021Production side streams from Vileda's Salon manufacturing facility sent to Rester for recycling into fibers for cleaning textiles. Partnership aims to eliminate mixed waste from production.
• EliscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2021Swedish textile service company Elis sends end-of-life workwear to Rester for recycling. Elis has sustainability goal of 80% textile recycling rate by 2025. Pilot started summer 2021 with quick results.
• EcoUpminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2021Research partnership to explore using recycled textile fibers as raw material for construction insulation products (Ekovilla brand). EcoUp is a Finnish construction circular economy company with over 40 years of experience.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Infinited Fiber Company: Finnish fiber-to-fiber recycling company producing regenerated cellulose fibers (Infinna) from textile waste. Closest Nordic competitor, though it uses a chemical (carbamate) route rather than mechanical, and serves similar fashion and apparel brands pursuing circularity.
• Pure Waste Textiles: Finnish recycled textile company founded by Rester's current CEO Jukka Pesola. Produces yarns and fabrics from 100% recycled materials using mechanical processes, serving apparel brands. Direct Nordic peer with overlapping customer base.
• Circ: US-based B2B recycler using chemical/thermo-mechanical processes to separate and recover polyester and cellulose from blended textiles. Targets apparel brands and textile manufacturers with similar fiber-to-fiber circularity pitch as Rester.
• Recover Nordic (Recover Brands): Spanish recycled cotton fiber producer with industrial-scale operations supplying fashion brands. Uses mechanical processes similar to Rester and competes for the same recycled-fiber slot in apparel supply chains.
• Worn Again Technologies: UK-based chemical recycler separating and recovering PET and cellulose from mixed textile waste. Targets textile manufacturers and brands with circular fiber solutions comparable in market positioning to Rester, though via different technology.

Emerging players

• Spinnova: Finnish sustainable fiber company using mechanical processes to convert wood pulp and waste streams into textile fibers. Adjacent fiber-recycling player with similar Nordic base, sustainability positioning, and customer overlap with eco-conscious apparel brands.
• Ioncell Oy: Finnish spin-off developing novel ionic-liquid-based cellulose fiber technology including recycled textile applications. Finnish peer with complementary technology approach to textile circularity.

Broad incumbents

• Lenzing AG: Austrian global leader in regenerated cellulose fibers (TENCEL Lyocell, Modal) with increasing focus on recycled and circular feedstocks. Broad incumbent that competes with Rester's spinnable fibers in apparel supply chains.
• Unifi (Repreve): US-based manufacturer of Repreve recycled polyester fibers, primarily from PET bottles but with growing textile-to-textile initiatives. Broad incumbent in the recycled fiber market with overlapping apparel and textile customers.
• Teijin Limited: Japanese chemical and fiber conglomerate with recycled polyester and aramid offerings (e.g., Ecopet). Broad incumbent serving technical and apparel textile markets with circular product lines that overlap with Rester's recycled fiber applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rester-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/rester_oy
• Xx.com/OyRester

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rester