Paris-based textile-to-textile regeneration company Reju will use augmented reality (AR) to provide attendees at next week’s Climate Week NYC 2025 and New Yorkers out on the streets with a dramatic look at the textile industry’s global waste problem.

Reju’s AR experience overlays mountains of textile waste against two iconic New York City landmarks – the Empire State Building and Flatiron, providing a powerful, shareable visualisation of the sustainability crisis and the company’s role in solving it.

Reju’s regeneration technology which originated with IBM research, is designed to recover, regenerate and recirculate end-of-life textiles into high-quality materials, closing the loop on textile waste.

Throughout Climate Week from September 21-28, New Yorkers will encounter QR code signage at high-traffic locations and near key Climate Week venues. Scanning the code leads users to an interactive microsite where they can point their phone’s camera at the two landmark buildings to activate Reju’s AR filter.

As users swipe through the AR settings, they will see the amount of global textile waste generated in a second, minute, hour and day scaled to the size of the landmark in front of them. The experience will deliver a visceral sense of the industry’s impact and highlight why innovation in sustainable materials is critical.

“Reju’s AR experience brings the invisible textile waste problem into sharp focus, right in the middle of New York City during a week when climate is top of mind,” said Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju. “It’s a wake-up call, but also a glimpse of hope. This is the very waste Reju is designed to transform, turning discarded textiles into high-quality materials and closing the loop in fashion and beyond.”

The campaign includes influencer partners who will share videos of the AR filter in action, inspiring followers to find the landmarks, try the filter themselves and post their own content—amplifying the conversation and deepening engagement.

www.ar.reju.com