CONSTANT SEARCH FOR IMPROVEMENT - RECYCLED PACKAGING
Our packaging was originally paper packaging with a plastic hook and plastic Gimble pin. The plastic hook was first use plastic, and was packed into polybags for transportation. We then moved to a recycled card for our packaging, evolving the design by removing the plastic hook and replacing it with a sewing method (cotton thread) for attaching the header cards to the socks. To hold 3 pairs of socks together we used a paper wrap and a recyclable PU liner for the shipping cartons. This liner was able to protect the products during shipping. Our packaging change resulted in the removal of over 900,000 plastic hooks from circulation annually and we said goodbye to 300,000 polybags and a gazillion gimble pins. While we were happy with these stats, we were not satisfied it was enough.
We did find that unfortunately, in the current market, there are no products that are 100% biodegradable in terms of plastic bagging for carton liners or shipping bags – many claim to be Biodegradable but none have been proven to pass the residue tests that can confirm they leave behind no trace elements. Since we don’t know for sure that they cannot be reabsorbed into the food chain, we choose to avoid them in favour of recyclable materials that we know can at least have another life and not cause harm to animals or humans.
