SCOTCH & SODA PARTNERS WITH TIPA® AND INTEGRATES COMPOSTABLE PACKAGING IN ITS SUPPLY CHAIN
The brand commits to replace one million polybags by mid-2022.
In honour of World Soil Day, Amsterdam-based fashion brand Scotch & Soda announces its partnership with TIPA®, a company that creates compostable and biodegradable packaging solutions. The integration of bioplastic TIPA® bags is part of Scotch & Soda’s aim to step away from conventional plastic polybags for all product categories by 2025, supporting the brand’s sustainability mission to contribute to environmental protection.
In 2022, a minimum of one million of Scotch & Soda’s garments will be 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.”
Produced in Germany, TIPA® bags are made from 20% bio-based plastic – derived from corn starch and sugar cane – and 80% fossil-based plastic. An alternative to conventional plastic, TIPA® bags are biodegradable and compostable. The bags are suitable for at-home and industrial composting, as indicated by the OK compost HOME and Seedling logos** on the bags, and they are designed to fully disintegrate over a three to six month period.
* Source: Geyer, R. Et al. (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances (Recycling rates of non-fiber plastics). Report documents that 58% of global non-fibre plastic is discarded, 24% incinerated and 18% recycled.
** The OK compost HOME logo is proof to conformity of all technical requirements of the product for full biodegradability, even in a home compost heap. The Seedling logo is proof that a product is certified for industrial composting in accordance with the European standard EN 13432.
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As part of Scotch & Soda’s mission to support global biological recycling, the brand aims to offer customers the opportunity to drop off their bioplastic TIPA® bags in selected stores, making it easier for those living in cities who might not have space to compost. The brand will work with local waste processors to ensure the bags will go to composting, starting with its two London stores, followed by key locations in Amsterdam, Paris and New York in 2022.
Through its partnership with TIPA®, Scotch & Soda hopes to inspire customers to start composting, and contribute to raise awareness about the environmental impact of both the production and end-of-life of conventional packaging.
For more information, please visit: www.scotch-soda.com
For more information: www.tipa-corp.com
