Monterosso Calabro, between tradition and innovation

Geo & Geo tells the story of Perpetua and GRAPHI-TEE endorsed by Perpetua.

Geo & Geo cameras return to Calabria, this time in the ancient graphite mine of Monterosso Calabro, closed in the 1940s, to discover a tradition that has graphite, a precious and fascinating mineral, as the protagonist.

Since the times of the ancient Romans, the local population collected this material in large tanks called “gurne”, previously filled with rainwater, in order to obtain a dense black compound which, thanks to the addition of natural binders such as pomegranate peels and walnut husk, made it possible to dye fabrics.

Thanks to its incredible properties (for example electrical, thermal, acoustic conduction and electromagnetic shielding) graphite has found, throughout history, many uses. Among these, the use in the production industry of graphite electrodes for EDM.

The waste of this industrial process is graphite powder, destined to landfill disposal.

We have long wondered about the possibility to give a new life to this waste material. After inventing Perpetua the pencil, the only one that recycles by writing 15 g of powder that otherwise would have ended up in landfills, we asked ourselves if the ancient Calabrian dyeing tradition could be reinvented in a modern way.

g_pwdr® Technology is the answer to this question, a graphite powder-based dyeing treatment that offers an alternative to chemical pigments in the fashion industry. Compared to other techniques, currently in use, with g_pwdr Technology it is possible to:

• reduce water consumption by 90%;

• reduce electricity consumption by 47%;

• avoid the use of additives and chemical pigments.

Fabrics treated with g_pwdr are characterized by:

• a unique shade of grey that cannot be obtained with any chemical dyeing processes;

• soft touch, obtained without the use of fabric softeners, but solely thanks to the lubricating properties of graphite;

• a unique, unrepeatable touch, due to the innate abrasive properties of the graphite powder.

WATCH THE EPISODE HERE