Home-Compostable Polybag Project
The aim of the project was to explore and validate bio-based, home-compostable polybags. To assess their suitability as a sustainable alternative to conventional fossil-fuel-based plastic packaging, addressing the fashion industry’s plastic waste problem.
What's the challenge?
Plastic packaging, predominantly fossil-fuel-based, contributes significantly to environmental degradation due to low recycling rates, leakage into natural systems, and high greenhouse gas emissions. Bio-based plastics offer a promising alternative but face challenges such as functionality, cost, and limited infrastructure for collection and disposal.
Executive Summary
Fashion for Good, in collaboration with C&A and Levi Strauss & Co. launched the Home Compostable Polybag Project. This project tested and validated bio-based, home-compostable polybag solutions from TIPA Corp. and Greenhope. The project focused on functionality, environmental impact (including third party compostability assessments), and industry scalability, aiming to reduce plastic waste and environmental damage.
The key findings include the identification of promising solutions that meet functional and environmental criteria, the validation of the material’s natural degradation capabilities, and the establishment of a foundation for future development and adoption. While certain challenges like transparency and durability remain, the project demonstrated promising results for scaling these sustainable alternatives.
Goals of the Project
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Test the functionality and end-of-use claims of home-compostable polybags.
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Identify and validate bio-based polybag solutions that are home-compostable.
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Assess the environmental impact of home-compostable polybags through third-party testing and certifications.
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Project Results
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Innovative Solutions: The project identified and tested bio-based, home-compostable polybags that meet environmental and functional standards, although further adjustments are needed for fashion industry applications.
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Environmental Impact: Third-party tests validated the home-compostability of the polybags, demonstrating a significant reduction in the environmental footprint of plastic waste in the fashion industry. TIPA Corp. polybags are certified by TÜV OK Compost Home and Greenhope has been certified by Din Certco Home Compost.
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Iterative Development: Multiple polybag prototypes were iterated and tested, revealing the need for ongoing refinements to align with industry standards and scaling opportunities.
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Innovation Partner
Implementation Partner
Relevant Resources
Unpacking the Packaging Problem: Solutions and Strategies
Fashion for Good Launches the Home-Compostable Polybag Project
Fashion for Good Launches a Pilot to Produce a Circular Polybag
The Home Compostable Polybag Project
Fashion for Good Expands Polybag Recycling Work
Global sustainability initiative Fashion For Good (FFG) has partnered with UK recycler First Mile to streamline plastic polybag recycling efforts in London, as it expands the outlook of its Plastics Packaging Project.
Fashion for Good launches pilot to make circular polybag
Fashion for Good in partnership with Adidas, C&A, Kering, Otto Group, PVH Corp, and Cadel Deinking, has launched a new pilot project—The Circular Polybag Pilot, which will explore a solution to reduce use and impact of virgin polybags in fashion industry. The pilot is a first in apparel industry to trial a truly circular solution for polybags.
Fashion for Good launches the home-compostable polybag project
Fashion for Good launches the Home-Compostable Polybag Project, a pilot to test alternatives to conventional single-use polybags,
Pilot Project to Tackle Plastic Polybag Waste in Fashion Industry
Recycling company First Mile has partnered with global sustainable fashion innovation platform Fashion for Good on a new pilot scheme that aims to tackle the issue of plastic polybag waste in the fashion industry.
Other Projects
Sorting for Circularity Rewear
Fashion for Good expanded its Sorting for Circularity framework to address the challenge of sorting for rewearable textiles to understand better their resale potential and the demand across the second-hand market. We launched an 18-month initiative in January 2024 in collaboration with Circle Economy, brand partners adidas, Inditex, Levi Strauss & Co. and Zalando to enhance the sorting of rewearable textiles using innovative AI technologies. The project seeks to improve garment recovery for resale, promoting circularity in the fashion industry.
Behind the Break
Behind the Break is a multi-phase research initiative developed by Fashion for Good in collaboration with The Microfibre Consortium. The project takes a research-led approach to advance the fashion industry’s understanding of fibre fragmentation, addressing uncertainties in existing testing protocols and key knowledge gaps. By supporting the development of a more credible and consistent foundation, the initiative aims to enable stakeholders to make informed decisions and take decisive action to mitigate fibre fragment pollution, while leveraging the best available science.
Feedstock Activation Europe: FAE
Project FAE (Feedstock Activation Europe) is an initiative led by Fashion for Good to channel post-consumer textiles as feedstock for textile-to-textile recycling at scale. It addresses a core gap in the value chain: today, sorters cannot viably prepare post-consumer material at the price, quantity and quality recyclers require, leaving most non-rewearable textiles with no viable destination.
