Fashion packaging is changing with the advent of composting

Fashion items are often packed and unpacked multiple times before reaching the consumer. This results in a lot of plastic packaging that is not needed. Most packaging ends up in landfills or incinerations, which contributes to fashion’s greenhouse gases emission problem. Fashion’s negative environmental impact is further exacerbated by the fact that clothing can also be a major landfill problem. Fashion, after oil and gasoline, is still the most polluting industry in the world.

The next frontier in sustainability is compostable packaging

Fashion’s environmental problems are being addressed by companies. Composting is gaining popularity. The fashion industry is still discussing compostability. While compostable is considered biodegradable, it is not always compostable. Compostable materials are able to be broken down quickly to their natural elements while biodegradable materials take longer.

TIPA is one of the new companies that focuses on 100% compostable alternatives to plastic. This encourages better packaging end-of-life. TIPA’s sustainable products can be used to replace plastic and also help the earth by composting. Others are also exploring compostable alternatives for leather and other materials.

Stella McCartney introduced a line made of mushroom leather earlier. MycoWorks, a mushroom-leather production company, is also a major player in the space of compostable materials. The sustainability industry is focusing more on packaging than fibers.

Michael Wass, vice-president of TIPA, stated that only 4 percent was recycled last year. This means there is a demand for a better solution. FashionUnited’s Wass stated that recycling is essential for products that are good solutions. However, flexible packaging can be difficult to recycle efficiently. “Composting is an intrinsic value at the end-of-life. If you can find compostable packaging that can be turned into something valuable, that solves the problem that comes with recycling. Recyclers often collect items that they can’t sell.

TIPA used certified compostable polymers to source their raw material. TIPA’s packaging has been adopted by Soda and Gabriela Hearst.

Flexible packaging is a more sustainable form of litter than conventional plastic bags. These bags are difficult to collect and can be easily disposed of in landfills. The supply chain can be sustainable by using compostable packaging.

You can also compostable packaging and send it to a composting facility. There, it will be quickly decomposed into organic materials. TIPA has developed a method that is eco-friendly to scale a sustainable, compostable business.

They source as much of their production locally as possible to reduce CO2 emissions. When they order their packaging, they get a locally sourced and manufactured solution. Retailers are happy to offer a domestic production solution, as supply chain problems continue to plague the country. Compostable packaging is the future, as 53 percent of clothing customers believe that companies should reduce their plastic use.