Scotch & Soda to replace one million plastic polybags
Amsterdam-based brand Scotch & Soda has announced a partnership with TIPA® which creates compostable and biodegradable packaging solutions to help it move away from conventional plastic polybags in its supply chain.
Scotch & Soda will integrate bioplastic bags into its supply chain, stepping away from conventional plastic polybags for all product categories by 2025 as part of its sustainability mission to contribute to environmental protection.
The fashion brand is committing to replacing one million polybags by summer-2022 by ensuring that its garments are packed in TIPA® bioplastic bags. For spring and summer, the first two collections of the year, TIPA® bags will represent 21% of the total product packaging and will be used for high volume items, such as T-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, sweaters and shirts, throughout menswear, womenswear and kidswear.
Fashion labels package their finished garments to protect them from water, handling and transportation, to make sure customers receive their orders in the best possible condition. Polybags made of Polyethylene (PE) – a polymer derived from fossil fuels – were traditionally the best packaging option, as they offer maximum protection. However, an average of 58% of global non-fibre plastic consumption ends up in landfill and natural ecosystems, taking hundreds of years to break down and leaking potentially toxic substances into water and soil.
TIPA®’s innovative packaging solutions offer the same level of protection as conventional polybags but are less dependent on fossil fuels and allow for composting at end of life, as opposed to landfill and incineration only.
Bio-based plastics are made either wholly or partially from renewable biological resources, such as sugar cane or corn starch. By increasing the use of these renewable feedstocks, Scotch & Soda aims to reduce its reliance on fossil-based resources.
Daphna Nissenbaum, CEO & co-founder of TIPA®, commented: “Consumers are more educated than ever about the impact of plastic packaging waste, and numerous studies we have conducted across Europe show that they have come to expect compostable packaging from the companies they purchase from. TIPA® is proud to be able to offer a solution for Scotch & Soda that will protect their garments while degrading safely into compost after use.”
Jelle de Jong, Scotch & Soda’s sustainability director, added: “We believe there is room for improvement when it comes to the implementation, collection and composting of bioplastic packaging in the fashion industry. By working together with TIPA® and local waste processors, we hope a product traditionally considered as waste will through the composting process return nutrients to the soil.”
