New bags use Hydropol™ – a marine-safe, biodegradable and recyclable polymer as an alternative to conventional plastics.
Aquapak Polymers Ltd, the developers of Hydropol™, a unique polymer which is soluble and non-toxic to marine life, has today announced a new collaboration with Maxim and N Brown, the inclusive retail platform and owner of the JD Williams, Jacamo and Simply Be brands. Hydropol™ can be used as an alternative to conventional plastic in a wide variety of packaging applications as it provides the same functionality and performance but without the associated environmental problems.
The retailer will begin rolling out Maxim’s Polymax™ powered by HydropolTM packaging for its garment bags for N Brown own-label products from the start of November, with the aim of reducing plastic waste and preventing recycling confusion and will become the UK’s largest online user of the environmentally friendly packaging technology in the fashion sector.
Unlike traditional plastic film, garment bags made using HydropolTMcan be recycled alongside paper, plastic, metal or food without any risk of contamination. Consumers can put HydropolTM packaging in their kerbside recycling where it will dissolve safely as part of the recycling process without the risk of damaging or polluting the environment or interfering with the recycling process. It can also go in standard black bins where it will safely biodegrade, and can even be dissolved completely in warm soapy water and washed away in the kitchen sink, leaving no harmful microplastics behind.
Enabling a 44% reduction in conventional plastic
As well as offering N Brown customers an easier and more sustainable way to dispose of their packaging, moving to PolymaxTM powered by HydropolTM packaging will have a significant impact on the amount of plastic used in N Brown’s operations. It’s expected that plastic use will be reduced by almost half (44%) once the PolymaxTM powered by HydropolTM packaging is rolled out across all own-brand products.
If PolymaxTM powered by HydropolTM packaging was used for all garment packaging, it is estimated that around 25 million tonnes of conventional, hard-to-recycle packaging could be prevented from entering the environment each year[1].
Mark Lapping, CEO of Aquapak Polymers said: “Hydropol™ offers fashion retailers the opportunity to reinvent packaging as we know it. N Brown will almost halve the use of conventional plastic by switching to the new garment bags which provide optimum garment and merchandise protection but without harming the environment. We hope other retailers and brand owners will take similar action to meet the needs of customers, shareholders and other stakeholders while significantly reducing the spread of plastic pollution and improving their sustainability credentials.”
Sarah Welsh, CEO of Retail at N Brown Group said “Reducing our impact on the environment while ensuring a high-quality product experience for our customers is something we take very seriously. Packaging has always been a key area of innovation for us as it makes up a significant proportion of the plastic that is used across our operations.
“Polymax powered by HydropolTM is a really exciting product that offers us the ability to package our clothes effectively without the use of conventional plastic and provides our customers with multiple easy and environmentally friendly disposal options.
“This new packaging is going to enable us to reduce our plastic usage by 44%, without compromising on the quality of our packaging. We’re excited for customers to start receiving some own-brand products in this new packaging this Autumn, with the full rollout to 100% of own-brand products set to be complete by the end of 2025.”
Tom Wielicki at Maxim said: “We’re incredibly excited that N Brown Group will become the largest retailer in the UK to use Polymax ® powered by HydropolTM packaging for their products. We believe that Polymax ® powered by HydropolTM is the solution to the burden of conventional single-use plastic in the fashion packaging sector, and we’re proud of the fact that it is fully recyclable, biodegradable and water soluble.
“We hope that other large retailers in the UK will follow N Brown in choosing a more sustainable future for their garment delivery.”
If you’re interested in switching your polybags over to HydropolTM you can request a free sample pack here.
[1]Calculation based on data from McKinsey, Ellen MacArthur and Plastics Europe
