Creating Compostable Packaging: A Small Difference That Can Lead to Big Changes
Compost is one of the most wonderful things in the world. You take organic matter that would otherwise end up in landfills, and create a nutrient-rich material that will help make gardens grow, flowers bloom, and make it easier to feed the world. And, thanks to Tipa (meaning “drop” in Hebrew), you will soon be able to add plastics to your compost mix.
Inspiration from an Orange Peel
Plastic is one of the most destructive materials on the planet. As No Camels reports, it often takes 500 years for plastic to decompose, and even then, microplastics remain in water sources and land. Furthermore, according to Inc.Com, even though plastics can theoretically be recycled, less than 5 percent of flexible plastic packaging that is put into recycling by consumers is actually recycled.
But that doesn’t need to be the case; not anymore.
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Now, Tipa and other companies have begun to create plastics that are able to biodegrade like any organic matter does. As Dafna Nissenbaum, the CEO and co-founder of Tipa, told No Camels, her inspiration for creating compostable flexible plastics came from nature: “Nature also packs its products, like bananas, apples, and oranges, but with a compostable material. Our plastics will disintegrate and biodegrade exactly like any other organic material, and turn into solid fertilizer.”
Unlike other compostable plastics on the market, Tipa’s plastics do not feel greasy and fully compost in home composts. This means that the average person with a garden compost could use their packaging and just throw it in the compost instead of the recycling bin when they are done with it.
Direct Partnerships
Another thing that Tipa has been doing to increase sustainability, according to Inc.com, is to create partnerships with existing manufacturers instead of creating their own factories. The company’s materials are purposefully designed to be compatible with machinery that already exists and manufacture non-compostable plastics.
In addition, Tipa has also gained some clout by partnering with some high-end designers. Both Stella McCartney and Mara Hoffman use Tipa’s products to package their products. Many brands are now aware that using sustainable packaging will endear them to customers, and Tipa helps them do that. “A package is the face of an asset,” Nissenbaum told Inc.Com, “And we are bringing a new face to it.”
Many people tend to think that becoming more environmentally friendly means giving up the things that make life more convenient like plastics, long airplane flights and food that comes from far away places.
But though it is true that being environmentally conscientious means becoming more thoughtful about what you and I consume and do, Tipa and other companies like it are trying to show the world that with a bit of ingenuity, saving the earth doesn’t need to entail drastic sacrifices. It may seem like a small drop in a big bucket, but the more people realize that environmentalism can be easy and convenient, the more people will get on board with the movement, and that can make a huge difference.
