The story of Pure Effect

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There are several different ways to tell the story of Pure Effect and why we exist. But at its core, our story is built on our passion for the environment, sustainable development, and resource efficiency. With Pure Effect, we want to make an IMPACT.

Our starting point is biotechnology and the fact that it is microorganisms (a collective term for bacteria, yeast, microfungi, and molds) that are responsible for all the actual cleaning on this planet. In our products and applications, we use the processes of bacteria and their ability to produce biochemicals and other substances to clean and solve odor problems.

• Bacteria and their processes can help us reduce resource-intensive production of synthetic chemicals (produced from oil or plants as raw materials) when used for washing and cleaning.
• Bacteria can solve problems with bad odors, which allows us to extend the washing intervals for clothes and other washable materials.
• Bacteria can also be used to displace other potentially disease-causing bacteria and create a ‘controlled’ microflora on surfaces and materials.

The positive properties of bacteria create IMPACT.

Our products contain bacteria and reactive substances produced by microorganisms (enzymes). The products are formulated to be used by anyone who cleans and washes at home, to break down organic material and remove and prevent bad odors.


Our products are designed to make everyday life easier

Fewer products in the cleaning cabinet reduce chemical usage. Product design, content, and instructions work together to minimize chemical overuse. Our product applications create resource efficiency, making materials, clothes, and items last longer.


A new way to look at washing and cleaning, our approach

Pure Effect introduces 'low-wash' and cleaning with beneficial bacteria to remove odors and many fresh stains. We want to reduce global washing by 25% – an ambitious goal, but entirely possible with biotechnology as a tool. Why have we chosen this as our mission? Simply because both traditional chemicals and washing itself take a toll on the environment and, not least, on our textile materials.

By reducing washing and washing at lower temperatures, the color and fit of the clothes are preserved for longer, allowing them to be used for a longer time. Such a small effort in everyday life has positive effects that can spread like ripples in water – all the way to the other side of the world.

In between washes, you can let Pure Effect’s dirt- and odor-eating bacteria take care of your clothes.


Textiles and laundry's climate impact, our solution

Clothing is consumed at a rapid pace today, and the lifespan of a garment is becoming shorter and shorter. The single biggest action anyone can take for the environment is to use garments for much longer — until they are worn out. However, each wash shortens the time between purchase and when the garment can be considered textile waste.

Each wash also releases microplastics, which are carried away with wastewater into nature. Microplastics are now present in all our environments, both around us and inside living organisms — including ourselves.

A shift from machine washing a garment after every use to washing more sparingly, such as spraying clothes, hanging, and airing them out, leads to significantly lower environmental impact. Immediate results include reduced chemical use, as well as lower water and energy consumption.

However, the major environmental issues primarily arise during the process required to create a new garment. This is something we at Pure Effect, along with an increasing number of brands within the textile and fashion industry, are highly aware of. And it's something we want to change.


How do we solve this? Our background

How do we build a sustainable society where we can live well on shared resources, not at the expense of each other and the Earth? We at Pure Effect come from an environmental background and are convinced that sustainable innovations are the key to living in better balance with the ecosystem. We focus on biotechnology as a solution because this is what we know.

Our background is in the biotechnology business world—specifically in large-scale cleaning, grease removal, and odor control. Together, we have several decades of experience in developing biotechnological applications with tangible environmental benefits. The purpose of Pure Effect as an application company is to bring biotechnology out and make bacteria accessible in people's everyday lives. The goal is to minimize the need to wash and make life a little easier.

The low-wash method has an enormous impact when it comes to saving clothes and hard-to-clean items—those that break down, thin out, become misshapen, shrink, fade, or pill in the wash. Or smell so bad that we throw them away and buy new ones. The no-wash method is designed for items that cannot be washed at all, such as shoes, boots, protective gear, bags, etc. Here, biotechnology and a no/low-wash mindset can make a significant impact.


Biotechnology: principles, benefits, and our application

Biotechnology is an ancient practice that simultaneously stands at the forefront of modern research. The principle is simple: microorganisms have a unique ability to both break down and produce an almost limitless variety of substances. We can harness their capabilities for our own use and even learn from their methods.

The potential applications are nearly endless. More than that—they are often exceptionally eco-friendly, requiring significantly less energy, raw materials, and water for production.

Pure Effect's products are practical and easy-to-use applications of biotechnological research. The microorganisms in our cleaning products—our beneficial bacteria—are there to tackle the eternal human challenge of dirt and odor. This is an area where traditional solutions tend to have a significant negative environmental impact.


Ten years of innovative biotechnology for home use

Pure Effect was launched in Sweden in 2015, making us the first on the Nordic market to offer biotechnological cleaning products specifically designed for home cleaning.

The method—“cleaning with bacteria”—already had a long history of successful practical application, primarily on a large scale in public spaces or industrial settings. As a result, these products were previously available only to environmentally conscious professional cleaning and sanitation companies.

However, with the introduction of Pure Effect, it became possible to clean with biotechnology at home using the most eco-friendly methods we know. We have scaled down proven biotechnological innovations from a societal level to everyday life—because that’s where the green transition happens, every time we make smarter choices for a better future.

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Milestones in our history

2014-2016: We participated in the research project I-Tex, I-Tex, Intelligent usage of Innovative Textiles for a healthier near patient environment in hospitals.

2017: Featured in the British magazine Wallpaper.

2017: We developed and launched criteria for the environmental labeling of biotechnological cleaning products. Continuous discussions with The Nordic Swan Ecolabel and Bra Miljöval took place between 2011 and 2017.

2018: We were contacted by a tech scouting firm working on behalf of NASA to explore solutions for refreshing clothes in space.

2018: We were nominated for the Swedish Design Awards for All Clean.

2019: We developed Clothing Mist in collaboration with Filippa K.

2019-2025: We initiated the SciArt project Rethink Bacteria together with RISE and Artis Micropia.

2023: Interview in the British Monocle podcast Eureka, episode 330.

2023: Collaborations with other Scandinavian brands and companies aiming to slow down fashion, such as Lindex and Sandqvist Bags and Items.

2024: We continue to grow despite the economic downturn, increasing our revenue by 60%. Initiation of tests with Wargön Innovation on product functionality and user behavior.

Please read more about Our Collaborations.