{"id":810,"title":"Who we are: a brief history of Teemill","description":"Somebody once said to us that we'd overestimate what we'd achieve in one year, but underestimate what we'd achieve in five. Of all the well-meaning business advice handed out to us over the last few years, that one we remembered. And it's the one we dish out most when asked for tips.","content":"

\"\"<\/p>

A 5 year old kid and a question..<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

When you're 5, seeing a bin overflow can trigger some interesting questions. Like, when you throw stuff away, where is away? And because there is no away, and you're 5, you start crying. Mart picks up the story. \"Mum helped me write a letter to the bin man. The person in charge of Biffa wrote back, and said that recycling will sort all that out in years to come, so I shouldn't worry about it. 15 worry free years later I got to go to a landfill site - the bit the public don't get to see - and what I saw made me decide that whatever happened, I did not want to be part of that.\"<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

From small beginnings..<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

It all began with Rapanui. We started small (in a shed with \u00a3200) but we had a big ambition which was to deal with all the issues in the fashion industry. What we\u2019ve done differently to everyone else is that we approached our business with that as our purpose, instead of trying to superficially bolt on sustainability afterwards. We looked at the supply chain as a connected system and have worked end to end, including post purchase, to design out all of the issues.<\/p>

\u201cWe didn't know much about how to run a fashion business, so we started trying to make better t-shirts, but we mostly made mistakes. Yet that naivety also helped us come up with unusual ways to solve some of the issues in the industry.\"<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

Our aim to make sustainability something people want, not just something people need was labelled as \u201cgame changing\u201d. At the time, we saw how desirable sustainability truly was, and eventually everyone else started to as well.<\/p>

As Rapanui became known for its sustainable clothing, other businesses started calling up asking if we could supply them. So we set up a print shop and started printing other people's designs on our T-shirts. We are now trusted by some of the world\u2019s biggest socially responsible brands as a supplier of custom printed products.<\/p>

\"\"Our custom printing service has only grown. After experimenting for a while, we developed and launched a service called Teemill. This enabled people to use our tech to build a store and then print their designs in real time automatically and send them the profits. Because this removed pretty much every barrier to entry for people looking to start a sustainable fashion brand, it helped other people achieve in 10 minutes something that took us 10 years, and the best thing about it - it\u2019s free.<\/p>

\"\"In 2019, we launched our first circular<\/u><\/a> products, made entirely from remanufactured cotton. All of our products are designed from the very beginning to be sent back to us once they\u2019re worn out, and remade into something new. This means that all of our products can be remade and never have to become waste.<\/p>

\"\"The Ellen MacArthur Foundation are a global leading authority in the field of sustainable fashion and we had the honour of being a key contributor to their Circular Fashion Report.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Their report discusses the need to transform the way clothes are designed, sold and used. This aim is to redesign the fashion industry so that clothes re-enter the economy after use and never end up in waste.<\/p>

\"\"Somebody once said to us that we'd overestimate what we'd achieve in one year, but underestimate what we'd achieve in five. Of all the well-meaning business advice handed out to us over the last few years, that one we remembered. And it's the one we dish out most when asked for tips.<\/p>

It's been an amazing journey so far.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\"\"<\/p>","urlTitle":"who-we-are","url":"\/blog\/who-we-are\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/who-we-are\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/uktshirtprinting.com\/blog\/who-we-are\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1563985252,"updatedAt":1717496328,"publishedAt":1717496328,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":52,"name":"T-shirt Printing UK"},"tags":[{"id":112,"code":"startupbrands","name":"startupbrands","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/startupbrands\/"},{"id":215,"code":"inspo","name":"inspo","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/inspo\/"},{"id":217,"code":"learning","name":"learning","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/learning\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5d3886d14fc278.89007599.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5d3886d14fc278.89007599.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5d3886d14fc278.89007599.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":4444,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":248,"title":"Insights From Teemill's Founders: How Can Businesses Be More Sustainable?","url":"\/blog\/how-to-make-your-business-more-sustainable\/","urlTitle":"how-to-make-your-business-more-sustainable","division":52,"description":"We bounced the founders for five quickfire top tips about starting a sustainable business, or making an existing one more sustainable.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5d38764bcc9db0.89107469.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5d38764bcc9db0.89107469.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":254,"title":"Screen Printing vs. Digital Printing: What's The Best Method For Your Business","url":"\/blog\/the-difference-between-screenprinting-and-digital-printing\/","urlTitle":"the-difference-between-screenprinting-and-digital-printing","division":52,"description":"In this blog we will discuss the differences between screen and digital printing so that, depending on what you need from your order, you can decide which print method is right for you.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5d8b82f07165d3.18306781.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5d8b82f07165d3.18306781.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":772,"title":"3 Screen Printing Pro Tips For Ordering Cheap Custom T-shirts Fast","url":"\/blog\/pro-buyers-guide\/","urlTitle":"pro-buyers-guide","division":52,"description":"The best buyers learn about the way products are made in the factory and work their order back from there. Ordering products that are quick, easy and simple to produce results in better prices, easier ordering and faster service for you, the buyer.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5d5c09193e8b80.47018254.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5d5c09193e8b80.47018254.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}