We’re pretty big fans of sustainable products especially those designed for the circular economy. Circular products can look like and be many things but a big part of it is the circular materials the product is made from.
For us and in terms of backpacks it’s a real value add, it’s your regular backpack but with the added benefit of being good for the planet and most often good for the people or communities who created the product.
When it comes to sustainable backpack materials, there isn’t a lot of range. In fact, it’s a real gap in the market, as there are only really 2 main options… recycled PET (plastic bottles) and organic cotton canvas.
Both of these materials are excellent choices and follow circular economy principles, one is a technical material that can be recycled and the other is a biological material that can break down after use.
rPET
rPET is recycled PET, it is one of the most common types of plastics used these days and you find it commonly used in plastic bottles and food containers.
It’s not just commonly used it’s actually everywhere, and only 12% of plastic bottles are recycled so it makes sense to use this recycled material as a resource. The bottles recycle well downstream which means turning a hard plastic bottle into a soft textile isn’t a problem.
The benefit of recycling PET is that by using it, it diverts that plastic from landfills and saves a bunch of crude oil being extracted to make the polyester equivalent.
There are a few rPET material brands around, but by far the most common one is REPREVE, and you will often see the REPREVE label stitched onto backpacks of other brands. Some backpacks even stitch the stats onto the bag and list how many plastic bottles were used in the material of the bag.
100% Organic Cotton Canvas
There are a bunch of cotton canvas backpacks on the market, but it’s important to check and find the ones that have been made using organic canvas. It means that the cotton has been grown without the use of harsh chemicals that damage the soil.
When looking at organic cotton is also important to search for GOTS certification. GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard and is the strictest standard for environmental and social practices. It’s the best, so if can see your organic cotton is GOTS certified it’s some pretty good stuff.
The ultimate cotton bags are those from Clean Generation, they have taken the next step and fully created their bags from 100% natural materials. This means that after using the whole bag can be completely placed in your compost where it can break down. We love this as it means the bags go back to the soil providing nutrients and they don’t end up in landfills!
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