AIZOME bottles its dye factory wastewater as certified skincare — Clio 2024 Grand Prix

Textile production uses 1,500+ synthetic chemicals and dyeing is a major cause of water pollution, but AIZOME's plant-and-ultrasound dyeing makes textiles that are genuinely healthy. In an industry flooded with sustainability claims, the startup needed proof that stood out.

Prove a chemical-free dyeing process by bottling the factory's wastewater as certified premium skincare: if even our waste is good for you, the claim is true.

AIZOME and Serviceplan Innovation took wastewater straight from the dyeing factory, had it tested and certified to cosmetic safety standards, and bottled it as WASTECARE — a high-end serum in a medical-grade vial with fully recycled packaging. Launched on World Earth Day 2023, it was shipped to key opinion leaders in fashion, textile and healthcare to spark partnerships.

Recipients responded at a 94% rate, generating 44 new business opportunities and 3 new investors. WASTECARE won the Clio 2024 Grand Prix in Public Relations (Environmental) plus a Bronze in Design, putting the startup's claim to the test.

The textile industry uses more than 1,500 synthetic chemicals, and the UN lists dyeing as the second major cause of water pollution. Japanese-German startup AIZOME went the other way: its AIZOME ULTRA method dyes fabric with only water, medicinal plants and ultrasound, leaving textiles that are not just harmless but anti-inflammatory and soothing.

Rather than publish another sustainability claim, AIZOME and Serviceplan Innovation turned the company's byproduct into the proof. They took wastewater straight from the dyeing factory, had it tested and certified according to cosmetic safety standards, and bottled it as WASTECARE — billed as the first skincare product that is industrial waste from textile dyeing.

Crafted as a high-end beauty product in a medical-grade vial with layered recycled packaging, the serum was launched around World Earth Day 2023 and shipped to key opinion leaders in fashion, textile and healthcare. The goal was not sales but partnerships: get designers and decision makers to join forces against toxic chemicals in the industry.

The stunt worked as outreach: a 94% response rate, 44 new business opportunities and 3 new investors. It also worked as recognition — WASTECARE won the Grand Prix at Clio 2024 in Public Relations (Environmental) and a Bronze in Design.

Proof by product: the wastewater itself certified that the dyeing process is chemical-free.

Dermatological certification made an outrageous idea verifiable, not just provocative.

Sending it to fashion, textile and healthcare leaders targeted exactly the people who could change the industry.

The luxury packaging reframed waste as value, generating surprise and press.

It turned a startup's claim into a conversation starter that scaled into partnerships and investors.

Instead of another sustainability claim, the brand turned its byproduct into the proof: a product that embodies the argument is more convincing — and more newsworthy — than any statement.

AIZOME kept selling its plant-dyed bedding and textiles direct to consumers in the US and DACH region, using WASTECARE as a demonstration of its AIZOME ULTRA technology at pop-up stores and trade fairs, with a limited-edition serum offered in an Indiegogo drop. The campaign became the startup's calling card: its Clio 2024 Grand Prix and Design Bronze kept the story alive long after the initial mailings, and the award win was announced on AIZOME's own site as validation of its anti-greenwashing position.