TACKLING FASHION’S PLASTIC PROBLEM WITH COMPOSTABLE PACKAGING

Piling up in landfill and clogging up our oceans, waste plastic is a visceral reminder of the world’s pollution problem. In many ways, Covid-19 intensified demand for single-use plastics, such as masks and gloves. In the fashion and retail industry, the pandemic and its lockdowns also pressed the accelerator button on the number of orders being made online, which are often delivered in swathes of hard-to-recycle single-use plastic and other wasteful, harmful or polluting packaging.

Some fashion brands and retailers are taking action, acknowledging the role that packaging plays in their impact on the environment. High street giant Primark, for example, has pledged to eliminate all single-use plastics by 2027 by taking measures such as using cardboard – rather than plastic – display hangers in store. British brand Superdry has also promised that 100% of its packaging will be converted to recyclable, reusable, or compostable alternatives by 2025.

Pressure to clamp down on wasteful single-use plastics, and to find more sustainable alternatives, is building from consumers and governments alike. Three-quarters of shoppers agree that single-use plastics should be banned as soon as possible, a 2021 worldwide survey by market researcher Ipsos showed. In Britain, eight in 10 people support a ban, the survey found. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of consumers said they are more likely to buy from a fashion brand or retailer if its packaging is sustainable, Drapers’ Sustainability and the Consumer 2022 report showed.

There are also growing legislative consequences. The UK introduced a Plastic Packaging Tax in April last year, which imposes a tax of £200 per tonne on plastic manufactured in, or imported into, the UK that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. Single-use plastic straws and drink stirrers were also banned in the UK in 2020, while retailers of any size have been required to charge a minimum of 10p for single-use plastic bags since 2021.

Compostable packaging is an increasingly popular alternative to conventional plastics that is already being used across the fashion and retail industry. Premium brand Scotch & Soda, for example, has partnered with compostable packaging company Tipa since 2021. In 2022, the Dutch fashion brand used 1.46 million compostable polybags, and aims to pack more than 2 million of its garments in Tipa’s compostable packaging this year.

Strong, protective and printable, Tipa’s compostable packaging has the same benefits as traditional plastic. Unlike polyethylene, however, which can take hundreds of years to break down in landfill, Tipa’s packaging is fully compostable, which means that after the end of its use, when put in a home or industrial composter, it breaks down within 180 days, turning to nutrient compost.

“We’re assessing the impact of our entire value chain as part of our sustainability strategy,” explains Scotch & Soda sustainability director Jelle de Jong. “Of course, areas such as raw materials have the most impact, but packaging, which is used for a relatively short time and can be hard to dispose of at the end of its life, is a very important element, too. Finding sustainable alternatives to plastics is huge for fashion brands because we need packaging: our products are shipped around the world and need to be properly protected.”

Since partnering with Tipa, one of the biggest challenges has been helping consumers understand how to properly dispose of the new compostable packaging at the end of its life, de Jong tells Drapers.

“Tipa is an innovator within this industry, and we share its mission to help the climate by producing less waste. Innovation is fantastic, but one of the difficulties is that, by definition, people don’t know about it yet. Communicating with our customers about how they should dispose of the new packaging has been really important. We’ve done this on the bags themselves, but also through our website and social media. Customers have been really interested.

“It’s also important to be transparent and communicate clearly with consumers about what you’re trying to achieve with sustainability initiatives and why.”

Tipa was founded in 2010 by entrepreneurs Daphna Nissenbaum and Tal Neuman. Previously working in the software industry, Nissenbaum’s interest in finding more sustainable packaging solutions was sparked by a conversation about plastic waste with her children.

“Nature has always protected things with compostable packaging – such as banana skins and nut shells – and I thought to myself: ‘why don’t we do the same?’” she tells Drapers.

“Tipa’s compostable packaging can protect products over a long supply chain, exactly like conventional plastics, but can turn into a new resource – compost – post-consumption.

“The fashion industry uses a lot of packaging for many good reasons – packaging itself is not the problem. But what we offer does all the same things as traditional plastic but is environmentally friendly.”

Nissenbaum stresses that switching to compostable packaging is a way brands and retailers can act on waste, fast.

“For brands who want to be more sustainable tomorrow, switching to packaging like ours is a great choice. It’s immediate, it’s ready and it’s already being used by other brands [such as Stella McCartney and Pangaia].

“It’s easy to make the change from traditional packaging and instantly cut your carbon footprint. We also know that consumers, especially the younger generations, want to see products packaged in this way but they don’t decide how products are packed – they can only buy what the market offers. It is up to the brands and retailers themselves to make a change.”

Eradicating single-use plastics and finding alternative sustainable and circular solutions to traditional packaging will only become more urgent as consumers continue to wake up to the environmental impacts of their purchases, and governments take action to force positive change.

“The most exciting thing about our partnership with Tipa is that we’re not done yet – there’s still more to do,” concludes Scotch & Soda’s de Jong. “But compostable packaging is helping us move the needle when it comes to closing the loop.”

Sourced from Drapers Bespoke