December 16, 2019
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, December 16, 2019— Fashion for Good and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition have collaboratively authored a white paper, “Polybags in the Fashion Industry: Evaluating the Options.” This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the environmental issues surrounding polybags, the relevant considerations around system improvements and material choices, and provides constructive guidance for brand owners, retailers, and their supply chain partners seeking to improve the environmental profile of their system of polybag usage.
Polybags – the clear plastic bags which cover every garment from manufacturing to retail stores or consumers’ homes – are ubiquitous within the fashion industry and have become the symbol of single-use plastic packaging for apparel, footwear, and outdoor product companies. Approximately 180 billion polybags are used every year, and many companies within the fashion industry have been challenged to address polybag waste as they pursue their zero waste goals. With an amplifying conversation on the circular economy and alternatives to plastic, polybags have become a hotbed of industry activity, and interest in novel solutions is at an unprecedented high.
The white paper includes a robust discussion of the ways in which polybags can be improved, including practical guidance on creating circular systems and a discussion of the trade-offs involved with material selection, with numerous examples of initiatives currently underway in the fashion industry highlighted to provide context. Readers from the retailer, brand owner, and packaging supplier communities will find actionable recommendations and thought-provoking information intended to broaden and unify the understanding of the ways in which sustainable packaging principles should be applied to polybags.
The European Outdoor Group and the Retail Industry Leaders Association also contributed to the white paper.
About the SPC
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition is a membership-based collaborative that brings together business, educational institutions, and government agencies to collectively broaden the understanding of packaging sustainability and develop meaningful improvements for packaging solutions. Our mission is to bring packaging sustainability stakeholders together to catalyze actionable improvements to packaging systems and lend an authoritative voice on issues related to packaging sustainability. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition is a trademark project of GreenBlue Org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the sustainable use of materials in society. We bring together key stakeholders to encourage innovation and best practices to promote the creation of a more sustainable materials economy. For more information, follow us on Twitter @SPCSpotlight or visit our website at https://sustainablepackaging.org. Companies interested in joining the Sustainable Packaging Coalition can visit https://sustainablepackaging.org/become-a-member/ or contact spcinfo@greenblue.org.
About Fashion for Good
Fashion for Good is the global initiative that is here to make all fashion good. It’s a global platform for innovation, made possible through collaboration and community. With an open invitation to the entire apparel industry, Fashion for Good convenes brands, producers, retailers, suppliers, non-profit organisations, innovators and funders united in their shared ambition. At the core of Fashion for Good is our innovation platform. Based in our Amsterdam headquarters and recently expanding the programme to South Asia, our global Fashion for Good Accelerator Programme gives promising start-up innovators the expertise and access to funding they need in order to grow. Our Scaling Programme supports innovations that have passed the proof-of-concept phase, initiating pilot projects with partner organisations and guided by our dedicated team that offers bespoke support and access to expertise, customers and capital. Our Good Fashion Fund catalyses access to finance to shift at scale to more sustainable production methods. Fashion for Good also acts as a convener for change, with the world’s first interactive museum dedicated to sustainable fashion innovation. In our headquarters, Fashion for Good houses a Circular Apparel Community co-working space, creates open-source resources like its Good Fashion Guide that provides practical advice to implement cradle-to-cradle™ certified apparel as well as white papers and reports investigating industry practices and developments. Fashion for Good’s programmes are supported by founding partner C&A Foundation, co-founder William McDonough and corporate partners adidas, C&A, CHANEL, BESTSELLER,Galeries Lafayette Group, Kering, Otto Group, PVH Corp., Stella McCartney, Target and Zalando and affiliate partners Arvind, Norrøna and Welspun.
Media Contact for the Sustainable Packaging Coalition
Sarah Messer
Sarah.messer@greenblue.org
Media Contact Fashion for Good
Anne-Ro Klevant Groen
press@fashionforgood.com
