A new study with the board directors and senior executives who work for fashion brands and retailers in the UK, US and Australia, by Aquapak Polymers Ltd, which specialises in polymer-based material technologies that can deliver both performance and environmental responsibility at scale, has revealed that 12 percent expect their business to be fully circular within one to two years, 34 percent within two to three years and 31 percent within three to four years. One fifth is expecting to reach this goal in four to five years.
Almost one-third (32 percent) rated their strategy for making their business fully circular as excellent, over half (54 percent) said it was good and 14 percent described it as average, suggesting there is room for improvement.
When it comes to sustainability leadership, over half (54 percent) described their business as a market leader and innovator, 39 percent said that their business was average and ‘following the leaders’ and 7 percent described their business as a laggard and ‘playing catchup’.
The findings also show that while 49 percent said sustainability is regarded as highly important to the success of their business, just 21 percent described the quality of effectiveness of their sustainability strategy and programme as excellent.
Over one third (37 percent) said that reducing the use of polyethylene plastic in packaging is a highly important part of their sustainability strategy.
To help reduce plastic packaging pollution Aquapak has developed Hydropol, a unique new polymer which is soluble and non-toxic to marine life. Hydropol can be used as an alternative to conventional plastic in a wide variety of applications as it provides the same functionality and performance but without the associated environmental problems. It is currently used to make products such as garment bags, offering all the necessary features of traditional polybags: strength and puncture resistance; clarity of film; and protection from leakages and dirt.
Crucially, Hydropol garment bags present zero end-of-life issues for consumers and brands. They can be disposed of in existing domestic waste streams without contaminating other recyclable products or they can be dissolved immediately in hot water at home without producing dangerous micro-plastics. They are also compostable, and degrade harmlessly on land or in the ocean.
“Our study shows that the circular economy and sustainability are priorities for boards and senior executives in the fashion industry, although only half think that their business is at the vanguard of change when it comes to innovation and market-leadership. There has been acceleration in new technologies in the sector, so the opportunity for brands to step up and lead the industry is there for the taking. Aquapak is already working with several early-adopter fashion companies who are determined to drive a significant change in the industry by embracing upstream innovation in packaging. These businesses are proof that new materials work and can make the difference that consumers are now demanding to see from fashion brands,” Mark Lapping, CEO of Aquapak, said.
