Why plastic?

The Ellen Macarthur: New Plastics Economy initiative principles has helped us set targets and make changes to reduce the impact of plastics within our supply chain. According to those principles, we aim to:

1. Eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign, innovation, and new delivery models as a priority.
2. Apply reuse models where relevant, reducing the need for single-use packaging.
3. Make all plastic packaging 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable.
4. Make all plastic packaging able to be reused, recycled, or composted in practice.
5. Fully decouple the use of plastic from the consumption of finite resources.
6. Make sure all plastic packaging is free of hazardous chemicals – and we prioritize the health, safety, and rights of all people involved.

And so, we made the decision to switch our packaging from a recycled polypropylene dust bag to a recycled low-density polyethylene bag, because it allows us to reduce the total raw material by more than 55%. Our previous dust bags were great if folks reused them (for shoes, laundry or the like). But, on balance, we realised they had a bigger footprint in the instances where they weren’t put to good, ongoing use. The plastic in our new packaging is still a recycled source. And it allows us to have better control over the impact, rather than relying on reuse in your home (when you might not have the need for it). You can recycle this packaging with your soft plastics and give it a chance to go around again.

In the majority of studies we reviewed, these recycled plastic bags were found to have the lowest climate impact compared to other packaging options. But we are still aware that it is nowhere near perfect, and we are committed to exploring options ongoing, in case we can find a better solution.