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Packaging made from 100% recycled, certified Ocean Bound Plastic pollution rescued from the environment in SE Asian coastal communities.
About
The problem: An estimated 8-12 million tonnes of plastic enters our oceans every year and this is expected to triple by 2040. Over 70% of that plastic enters oceans via land and over 80% of that comes from Asia. Pollution and poverty are often inextricably linked. The poorest regions of the world lack waste management (let alone recycling) infrastructure which leads to plastic ending up in the environment. The solution: As Better Packaging Co. has introduced sustainable packaging solutions to a hungry market, we’ve realised that ‘zero waste’ is not longer enough. We need to do more that maintain the status quo, we need solutions that improve the state of the environment instead. We asked "What if packaging actually reduced the amount of pollution in the environment rather than making it worse?" By bringing together a number of proprietary concepts and technologies, we’ve discovered a way to do exactly that. POLLAST!C is a world first range made from 100% recycled Ocean Bound Plastic pollution with a significantly lower CO2 footprint than the equivalent packaging made from virgin plastic. Certified Ocean Bound Plastic is plastic pollution deemed at high risk of ending up in the ocean because it is abandoned, within 50km of the coast and in an area with no formal waste system. When we recycle it, the result is a high-performing and environmentally sustainable alternative to virgin plastic. By treating plastic pollution as a valuable resource and making something useful out of it, we create a commercial incentive for its collection. POLLAST!C provides paying jobs to members of disadvantaged communities, reduces pollution (and the resulting micro plastics), serves its purpose to protect goods in transit, while also delivering on over 10 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Key Benefits
POLLAST!C provides a simple, cost-effective way for companies to confidently make the transition to a future with less waste and lower greenhouse emissions. We have in market (at scale) poly mailers, poly garment bags, pallet wrap and other packaging film products made from POLLAST!C - 100% recycled Ocean Bound Plastic pollution. We are the first company in the world to do this. It is an incredibly low carbon solution. A POLLAST!C poly mailer has 75% less CO2 than a virgin plastic equivalent. This measurement does not take into account the additional benefits from preventing plastic entering the ocean and mangrove forests where it inhibits their ability to sequester carbon. POLLAST!C inputs are completely traceable to source, using the latest technology to enable full transparency and impact reporting. By using Ocean Bound Plastic, we create a commercial incentive for its ongoing collection. Our collectors are well paid, their communities flourish and their environment is cleaner. POLLAST!C helps break the cycle of poverty and pollution. The POLLAST!C range can be recycled along with other soft plastics or within any recycling stream that accepts number 4 plastics.
Applications
The opportunities for POLLAST!C are limitless. Anywhere you use plastic film, is an opportunity for a POLLAST!C solution. Currently in market - 'Off the shelf' and custom solutions: Pallet Wrap Carry Bags Woven Bags (Reusable carry bags) Bags Bin Liners Mailers (Courier Satchels, Postage Mailers, Poly Mailers) Bubble Mailers (Padded Mailers, Bubble Bags) Poly Garment Bags & Hanging Garment Bags (Poly Bags) Labelopes (Transparent Adhesive Document Pouches) Ziplock bags In a recent independent study by Sphera (on behalf of a large multinational looking to evaluate material options for their courier mailers), comparative LCAs showed that BPCo's POLLAST!C mailers were the lowest impact option. A 2021 student by The European Outdoor Group (whose members include Patagonia and Adidas) as part of their Single Use Plastics Project concluded that poly bags are necessary to prevent damage to goods (and the waste associated with that) and that a thin poly bag made from 100% recycled LDPE is the most sustainable option.