The material, which the company claims is the first-of-its-kind in the UK, replaces the conventional polyethylene used in packaging for John Lewis’s bed linen and some school wear items. It contains an additive biodegrade which will break down with or without oxygen, heat or light, in five to fifteen years compared with hundreds of years for conventional plastic bags.
As John Lewis will sell more than three million items of bed linen in this type of bag annually, the company pointed out that initiative has the potential to have a “significant positive environmental impact”.
Mark Gallen, packaging design and production manager for John Lewis explained that the retailer had been researching alternative more environmentally sustainable packaging materials. By working with suppliers, Gallen discovered that by introducing a small amount of an additive in the manufacturing process, the polyethylene bags would become biodegradable even when sent to landfill.
“We work hard to reduce the environmental impact of our packaging and have already replaced PVC packaging with recyclable polyethylene. While it is possible to recycle traditional plastic bags at some recycling centres, it is less common to be able to recycle this type of plastic at curbside collection points meaning that most of it is thrown in the bin,” according to Gallen.
“Until recycling facilities are more widely available, most people will throw the packaging away. We know that our customers want to reduce their environmental impact, and this new material makes it as easy for them to do this.”
The additives work by encouraging naturally occurring micro-organisms in the soil to biodegrade the material without leaving harmful by-products. The resulting products are water, biogas and humus, which are components for good soil. The degradation process will occur wherever the polyethylene is buried as the presence of air, light or heat is not a necessary requirement.
John Lewis said it plans to extend the product lines using this packaging to own-brand ready-made curtains next year. Following an initial six months of exclusive use, John Lewis will make the technology behind the new packaging available to other retailers.
