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The Home Compostable Polybag Project

Fashion for Good initiated the Home Compostable Polybag Project to explore alternatives to conventional plastic polybags. In collaboration with innovators TIPA Corp. and Greenhope, along with partners C&A and Levi Strauss & Co., the initiative focused on researching, assessing, and validating bio-based, home-compostable options. The project’s goal was to determine the feasibility of these alternatives and achieve key objectives in reducing plastic waste in the fashion industry.
Image by Greta Hoffman by Pexels.


The Problem

Plastic packaging is predominantly linear in application, characterised by low recycling rates, which leads to significant negative externalities like natural system degradation due to leakage and greenhouse gas emissions from production and incineration. Over 90% of plastics are produced from virgin fossil feedstocks, relying on global oil resources.

Shifting to renewable, bio-based plastic alternatives can mitigate these issues by decoupling from fossil fuels and reducing environmental impacts. Bio-based plastics provide advantages such as natural degradation, reducing the environmental risks associated with plastic waste leakage, minimising landfill accumulation,  and generally have a lower carbon footprint compared to their fossil-based counterparts.

Despite their potential, bio-based plastics represent less than 1% of total plastic production, facing several challenges to widespread adoption. These include:

  1. Functionality: Bio-based alternatives often do not match the mechanical and barrier properties of conventional plastics, such as transparency, water and oxygen resistance, and durability, unless they are enhanced with additional additives or processing steps.
  2. Impact: Environmental benefits of bio-based packaging need thorough validation. Issues such as deforestation for paper-based packaging and competition with food resources for compostable packaging raise concerns.
  3. Infrastructure: Although composting infrastructure is in place, the key challenge lies in the absence of efficient collection and routing systems. While there are ample facilities to process compostable packaging, dedicated collection and recycling systems are required, as compostables are not compatible with traditional recycling streams.
  4. Cost competitiveness: Bio-based plastics are currently more expensive than fossil-based plastics due to factors such as production scale, optimisation levels, and raw material costs. Achieving cost competitiveness requires significant investment and increased demand.

To address these challenges, Fashion for Good (FFG) initiated the Home Compostable Polybag Project to understand, assess, and validate innovations in bio-based and home-compostable polybag alternatives. The project, led by FFG and involving partners C&A and Levi Strauss & Co., aimed to evaluate the viability of home compostable polybag solutions as substitutes for conventional plastic polybags and achieve several key objectives:

Objectives

  • Testing and Validation: The project assessed the functional properties and end-of-use claims of home compostable polybags through laboratory and supply chain testing.

  • Identifying Solutions: It focused on bio-based content solutions that are home-compostable, ensuring certification standards were met.

     

  • Environmental Impact Assessment: The project validated environmental impact claims of bio-based polybags through certifications and third-party degradation testing, and gathering impact information assessing potential environmental risks.

     

Through these comprehensive efforts, the Home Compostable Polybag Project aimed to overcome the key challenges and barriers to the widespread adoption of bio-based polybags. By validating functionality, ensuring environmental compliance, and understanding infrastructure the project sought to pave the way for a significant shift towards more sustainable packaging solutions that reduce dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate the environmental impact of plastic waste. Following a thorough due diligence process, polybags from FFG innovators Greenhope and TIPA Corp.. who specialise in producing bio-based and home-compostable plastics, were tested during the project. 

 

Results

Through this project, it was discovered that while home compostable polybags hold significant potential, there are still challenges for fashion industry applications such as issues with transparency and perforation. Despite these obstacles, the project yielded substantial successes. Functional testing provided innovators with essential insights on meeting industry standards, indicating that while process iterations will be necessary, they appear feasible. Additionally, comprehensive environmental validation highlighted the potential benefits of these materials. Additionally, valuable partnerships were established, laying the groundwork for scaling these solutions.

The polybag compostable claims have been verified by third-party certifications.  TIPA Corp. polybags are certified by TÜV OK Compost Home and Greenhope has been certified by Din Certco Home Compost. 

The promising impact of this technology largely depends on its compostability capabilities and innovators are exploring ways to holistically measure the environmental benefits of their technologies. This has proven to be challenging due to the uncertainties around the quality of data collection around end-of-use and disposal. Additionally, there is a lack of existing impact assessment methodologies that provide a comprehensive view of the environmental benefits and potential of these technologies. Both innovators are addressing these challenges: one by collecting primary data on end-of-life waste management, and the other by conducting an in-depth study on the limitations of Life Cycle Analysis in assessing such technologies.

Key Findings

  • Innovative Solutions Identified

    The project successfully identified and tested promising bio-based and home compostable polybag solutions. These solutions not only met several functional and environmental criteria but also demonstrated the need for adjustments within the fashion industry to accommodate these new materials. The results indicate strong potential for further development and scaling.

     

  • Environmental Impact Validation

    Third-party degradation testing confirmed the environmental benefits of bio-based polybags. This testing validated their natural degradation capabilities compared to conventional plastics, offering a viable alternative that could significantly reduce the environmental footprint of the fashion industry.

  • Iterative Development Conducted

    Throughout the project, multiple iterations of bio-based polybag prototypes were developed and tested. These iterations allowed for continuous refinement, addressing both technical challenges and industry-specific requirements, ensuring that the final solutions are not only environmentally responsible but also practically viable for widespread adoption.

Next Steps

  1. Continue Innovation and Development:

Persist in the search for low-impact polybag solutions, refining and iterating designs to meet the specific needs of the fashion supply chain. Ongoing innovation is essential to ensure these solutions are both functional and have less environmental impact.

  1. Consider Comprehensive Packaging Strategies:

When brands evaluate their packaging options, they should carefully consider waste management infrastructure, industry requirements, and the entire production process. Compostable solutions are just one approach to enhancing circularity in packaging, but it’s crucial to address these key factors to ensure successful implementation.

  1. Adoption of more sustainable polybags:

Identify and seize opportunities to expand the production and adoption of sustainable polybags. Scaling up is vital to make these solutions more accessible and cost-effective across the fashion industry.

  1. Enhance Waste Management Infrastructure:

Develop and invest in robust waste management systems that can effectively handle compostable materials. Strengthening infrastructure is critical to ensuring that compostable polybags fulfil their environmental promise.

By addressing these challenges and building on the successes and insights gained, the fashion industry can make significant strides toward the widespread adoption of sustainable, home-compostable polybags.

Brand Stakeholders: C&A and Levi Strauss & Co. 

Project Length & Geography: Launch: April 2022; Closing: Q3 2024 (Extended due to iterations of product to meet brands needs and shipment delays)

Innovators: TIPA Corp. and Greenhope

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