Amsterdam-based fashion brand Scotch & Soda recently announced its partnership with TIPA®, a company that produces compostable and biodegradable packaging solutions. The integration is a major game-changer as the company is aiming to adhere to its mission of supporting and contributing towards environmental protection.
Scotch & Soda’s aim is to step away from conventional plastic polybags for all product categories by 2025. In 2022, a minimum of one million of the company’s garments will be packed in TIPA® bioplastic bags. For both the Spring and Summer Collections, TIPA® bags will represent 21% of the total product packaging. The company said it will be used for high-volume items like shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, and sweaters- throughout menswear, womenswear, and kidswear sections.
Daphna Nissenbaum, CEO & co-founder of TIPA® said: “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.”
TIPA®’s innovative packaging solutions offer the same level of protection as conventional polybags. The only added advantage is that they are less dependent on fossil fuels and allow for composting at the end of life, as opposed to incineration or landfilling. Made in Germany, these bags are made from 20% bio-based plastic, which is only derived from corn starch and sugar cane. An alternative to conventional plastic, these bags are completely biodegradable in nature. 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 months period.
Polybags are made of Polyethylene (PE) – a polymer derived from fossil fuels. But an average of 58% of global non-fiber plastic consumption ends up in landfills and natural ecosystems. These eventually take hundreds of years to break down, thereby also potentially leaking toxic substances into water and soil. By increasing the use of these renewable feedstocks, Scotch & Soda aims to reduce its reliance on fossil-based resources.
Elaborating further, 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.”
