In honor 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 TIPA® bioplastic bags is part of Scotch & Soda’s goal to move away from conventional plastic polybags for all product categories by 2025, supporting the brand’s sustainability mission to help protect the environment.
By 2022, a minimum of one million Scotch & Soda garments will be packaged in TIPA® bioplastic bags. For spring and summer, the first two collections of the year, TIPA® bags will account for 21% of total product packaging and will be used for high-volume items, such as T-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, sweaters and shirts, across men’s, women’s and children’s apparel.
Fashion brands package their finished garments to protect them from water, handling and transportation to ensure that customers receive their orders in the best possible condition. Bags made of polyethylene (PE) – a polymer derived from fossil fuels – have traditionally been the best packaging option, as they offer maximum protection. However, an average of 58%* of the world’s non-fibrous plastic consumption ends up in landfills and natural ecosystems, taking hundreds of years to decompose and leaking potentially toxic substances into the 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 end-of-life composting, as opposed to landfill and incineration only. Biobased plastics are made entirely or partially from renewable biological resources, such as sugarcane or corn starch. By increasing the use of these renewable raw materials, Scotch & Soda aims to reduce its dependence on fossil resources.
Daphna Nissenbaum, CEO and co-founder of TIPA®, comments, “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 buy from. TIPA® is proud to be able to offer Scotch & Soda a solution that will protect their garments while safely degrading in the compost after use.”
Made in Germany, TIPA® bags are composed of 20% biosourced plastic – derived from corn starch and sugar cane – and 80% fossil-based plastic. As an alternative to conventional plastic, TIPA® bags are biodegradable and compostable. The bags are suitable for home and industrial composting, as indicated by the OK compost HOME and Seedling** logos on the bags, and are designed to disintegrate completely over a period of three to six months.
As part of Scotch & Soda’s mission to support global biorecycling, the brand aims to offer customers the opportunity to drop off their bioplastic TIPA® bags at select stores, making it easier for urban residents who may not have space to compost. The brand will work with local waste processors to ensure the bags go to compost, 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 its customers to compost, and help raise awareness of the environmental impact of the production and end-of-life of conventional packaging.
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