Packaging
Fashion Brand Maggie Marilyn Beats Plastic Polybags. Read here how.
Hi!
I’m Rachel
You have gifts to change
the fashion industry
and my job is to help you
using them.
How do you know if ‘green’ disposable plastic products, marked bioplastic, biodegradable, or compostable are actually a good choice for planet & people? All the different terms are confusing. We need clarity. And we need it fast.
We all know that plastic is made of artificially created chemicals that don’t belong in our world. Plus they don’t mix well with nature. These plastics are a big source of pollution, in our water and food, creating toxic health hazards for communities as well as killing marine wildlife.
The Solution To Plastic Polybags
Maggie Marilyn, a sustainable fashion brand from New Zealand uses biodegradable cassava polybags. They are made from the cassava root, vegetable oil, and vegetable polymers and are produced in Indonesia. These bags, created for them by ComPlast, decompose back to nature and dissolve in water. Maggie Marilyn explains “Some manufacturers of petroleum-based bags will add plant-based materials to the plastic and also claim these as “biodegradable”. A very frustrating piece of greenwashing!”
Currently, these bio-based polybags are commercially compostable (99.5% plant material) and they are developing towards home-composting. These bags completely biodegrade back into the environment without creating any type of microplastics (as the petroleum-based plastic do). Maggie Marilyn shares more detailed information on their website and by doing so, they hope to encourage other brands and retailers to demand more on this specific issue that is holding us back from being more accountable to our waste. Sharing = Caring!
Currently, these bio-based polybags are commercially compostable and hopefully soon for home-composting.
Recycling bio-based plastics
The volume of bio-based plastics is still too small for separation or separate collection. But hey, isn’t this just like electric cars? At first, nobody bought one because there was no charging point. But then, nobody is going to install charging stations if there are no electric cars… Just the same case with the recycling of bio-based plastics. It’s ultimately up to waste companies to break through that problem. Overall, it is expected that by 2020 the share of bio-based and biodegradable plastics will increase to 2.5% of fossil plastics production (read here more about this). That’s only a half a year away from now…
Facilitate Consumers’ best behavior
Collection and sorting, which starts at consumers and their behavior, largely determine the (energy) efficiency of waste management systems. To facilitate consumers to choose the right route of disposal for packaging waste, pictograms can be used to indicate the preferred disposal route.
Six key points so that plastic never becomes waste
The New Plastics Economy (Ellen MacArthur Foundation) has defined six key points to catalyze change and shift towards a circular economy where plastic never becomes waste:
-
Elimination of problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign, innovation, and new delivery models is a priority
-
Reuse models are applied where relevant, reducing the need for single-use packaging
-
All plastic packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable
-
All plastic packaging is reused, recycled (rPET), or composted in practice
-
The use of plastic is fully decoupled from the consumption of finite resources
-
All plastic packaging is free of hazardous chemicals, and the health, safety, and rights of all people involved are respected.
Questions about polybags & plastics? Write them down in our comments below. Do you like this? Perhaps you like our previous article on plastics in a circular economy. Do you see mistakes? Let us know! Do you want to stay informed? Sign up for our Newsletter or social via Facebook and Instagram.
Fashion Industry: Plastic Packaging in a Circular Economy. Doing it the Right Way.
Fashion Industry: Plastic Packaging in a circular economy; doing it the right way.
The apparel and textile supply chain is tackling the issue with research and innovation, as the problem of plastic waste becomes more critical. Walmart noted that the pros to the use of plastic packaging have not kept up with increases in plastic production, which amounts roughly 500 million tons annually. About 35% of Walmart’s plastic production goes to packaging, most of which is single-use and then discarded. Did you know that less than 14% of plastic packaging is globally recycled?
Did you know that less than 14% of plastic packaging is globally recycled?
The positive environmental effects of using sustainable products are distributed throughout the chain from producers to end users. The CO2-saving effects of, for example, bio-based products are good for everyone and not just for the user. In this way, the costs and the positive environmental effects, are distributed.
Greenwashing vs. Greenhushing
It’s time to communicate as clearly, informative and transparent as possible about the plastic packaging within a circular economy. There is so much uncertainty about this subject. Much has to do with Greenwashing (appearing more green than it actually is) or Greenhushing (doing green but afraid to communicate about it). Rethink Rebels believe transparency is key and with the right information, you can make the right decisions regarding packaging and communicate about this fairly.
Bio-based products are made from biomass such as sugar cane
When a product is bio-based it means that the product is made from biomass such as sugar cane or corn. The sugars are extracted from this biomass and the basic raw material ethylene can be made from this. Ethylene materials are bonded together, creating polyethylene, which is used to make plastic. Note: Ethylene materials are both made from fossil raw materials and from biomass. The end product, plastic, in this case, is identical when it is made from fossil or bio-based raw materials and there is no loss of quality.
When a product is bio-based, you can’t just throw it into nature.
There is still a lot of uncertainty among users of bio-based products and users think that these products can be broken down in nature. But the reality is that it is a bit more complicated. Let’s look at it more in detail and inform you about the degradation possibilities of plastics.
The degradation possibilities of plastics
Plastics are either fossil or bio-based. Within these 2 groups, there are compostable and not-compostable kinds. Herewith a clear framework to shed some light on this:
Source: https://vendrigpackaging.com
Compostable and non-compostable fossil-based plastics
Plastic products are currently made from fossil fuels. And we all know that fossil fuels are finite and produce CO2 during the production of plastic which causes the climate to heat up. Time for innovation and time to look at better options.
A big advantage of bio-based plastics they are CO2 NEUTRAL
The big advantage of bio-based products (biomass/bioplastics) is that they have a different carbon (CO2) cycle than products made from fossil materials: during their growth cycle, they absorb CO2. Therefore these products are seen as CO2 neutral. In theory, it is, therefore, possible to make infinite biomass on earth.
Compostable vs. not compostable bio-based plastics
Bio-based plastics are also called bio-plastics. The difference here is the compostable and not compostable abilities within this group. Compostable bioplastics are either composted industrial (55-60 degrees Celsius and enzymes) or domestically composted (Green trash bin: less high degrees, time and enzymes). The not-compostable bioplastics should be recycled within regular plastic recycling. The environmental advantage here is that the raw materials are from plants and therefore take up CO2 during their growing process (indifference to fossil-based raw materials).
The packaging industry now lacks rules about what producers should put on their packaging about recyclability.
The current recycling claims on the packaging are often theoretical and can give the wrong signal. For example, packaging made of biodegradable plastic. The consumer thinks that this packaging can be composted or recycled very well. The reality shows that recycling companies are experiencing problems with the recycling of these packaging. In the end, they almost always go into the incinerator.
Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Circular packaging model
New business models and innovations, using circular economy principles, are transforming traditional take-make-dispose thinking with incredible speed. The fashion industry should be part of the circular economy revolution and committed to making some breakthroughs in packaging waste.
Ideal sustainable packaging should contain
1) 1 sort material (partially made from recycled material)
2) optimized caps and labels that don’t disturb the recycling of the other materials
3) Transparent or light color
Source: Duurzaam bedrijfsleven
Sustainable packaging NEWS
If we act now, unnecessary plastic waste will soon be a tale to tell our grandchildren! We will regularly add more news about sustainable packaging for the fashion industry here. Do you want to be kept informed? Subscribe here to our newsletter.