Earth Squared is an Edinburgh based B-Corp accredited fair-trade business that provides ethically sourced fashion accessories that combine quality craftmanship with distinctive designs.
Established 21 years ago and run by Alison and Simon Henderson they have a loyal customer base across the UK and overseas. Best known for their wide range of contemporary handbags and purses, they work with production and supply chain partners who share the same vision for mimimising their impact on the environment.
We spoke with Simon recently about their experience using our HydropolTM garment bags to protect and transport their products to customers through their ecommerce channels.
A soluble and safe polybag alternative
“As a business we take our commitment to the environment seriously and as we grew, we knew that we needed to find a way to reduce our use of polybags. The idea of having our products shipped in single-use plastic that was not easy to recycle or dispose of, did not sit well with us or our customers, so we knew we needed to find a better way.
Aquapak and their HydropolTM garment bags first came to our attention as a possible alternative in 2021. The idea of having a soluble bag that would simply dissolve safely into domestic wastewater systems or would biodegrade harmlessly was obviously very appealing. After doing some web research we ordered garment bag samples through the Aquapak website and were impressed with both the quality and functionality they offered.
We had looked at several other options too such as banana paper, but we found that with production based in Vietnam factors like resistance to humidity, durability and having a decent shelf life ruled these out quite quickly, whereas HydropolTM performed well in these areas.
Customer feedback really encouraging
It wasn’t all plain sailing though and we knew that transitioning away from conventional plastics was not going to be easy. The whole industry and supply chain is unsurprisingly still geared towards conventional plastic solutions after relying on it for decades, so there was certainly an element of trial and error with the new material. However the end result is worth the effort, and Aquapak has plenty of technical expertise and were able to support us through every step of the process.
We now have a packaging solution that we can be confident is not contributing to plastic pollution no matter how our customers choose to dispose of it. In fact the feedback from customers has been really encouraging, the slight differences in look and feel have been noticed and many of them love it, which is something I didn’t think we’d hear about our packaging.
Ultimately our decision to switch away from conventional polybags has had a positive impact and adds value to our brand, aligns better with customer expectations and is consistent with our core company values.
The issue of polybags and plastic is still a major topic of conversation within our industry and in reality there aren’t a lot of viable solutions out there when you need the right mix of performance, functionality and sustainability. I’d definitely encourage other fashion and gifting companies to go on the same journey with Aquapak. There may be a few bumps along the way as there always is when you make a change like this but you have nothing to lose and a considerable amount to gain both for your business reputation and for the good of our environment.”
