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Kaltrina Bylykbashi
Tipa is classified as a transitional material.
Tipa is an Israel-based company that creates patented flexible packaging items such as resealable bags, garment bags, laminates and labels that are certified as TŪV home compostable and industrially compostable. This suggests its items biodegrade between six months to a year when disposed of in food waste bins or composting facilities. This addresses a major problem with flexible packaging, which is usually layered with multiple materials, making it hard to recycle and unlikely to decompose. Clients of Tipa’s include Stella McCartney, Pangaia and Waitrose. In January 2022, Tipa raised USD 70 million in round C funding, meaning it has raised USD 130 million in investor funding to date.
While the company uses a proprietary blend of polymers to create its products, we know that they are made with up to two-thirds renewable bio-based sources such as cornstarch and sugarcane, as well as fossil-fuel based polymers. PBAT is one transitional polymer we know is fossil-fuel based and made to biodegrade, however the use of this material is undesirable as it contributes to the manufacturing of petrochemicals. Studies have also shown that PBAT does not biodegrade in marine or fresh water environments, which is hazardous for the climate. PLA, which is made from renewable materials such as cornstarch, is also seen as a plastic under the EU definition because it is chemically modified during its manufacture.
There are examples of companies that create soft, flexible packaging without using plastic or plastic-like ingredients. Take Sylvicta, a wood-based barrier paper that's translucent and grease-resistant, perfect for garment bags and keeping food and beauty items fresh. Elsewhere, Notpla offers seaweed-based films and coatings that compost into nothing - leaving no toxins or microplastics behind. Having won the 2022 Earthshot Prize, the company is well on its way to scalable solutions.
