support crew

"Greening" the courier bag range

Businesses can greatly impact the environment; whether for good or bad. Being a 'green' company stems from more than introducing one product that is more healthy for the environment than another alternative. Instead, being a green company stems around understanding that what you do (no matter what you do) is inherently "bad". Realising this means that you are constantly analysing what you are doing, while always searching for a better alternative. Here you will find information about our courier bag range, and what we have done to reduce it's impact.

Courier Bag range

On average, our bags contain approximately the following percentage of reclaimed or recycled materials by weight.

Babycandy, 65.8% reclaimed for a nylon outer.
Papermunky, 39.20% for a nylon outer, up to 78.5% reclaimed for canvas.
sindrome is being developed! We'll let you know soon!
Elephantitus, 49.9% for a nylon outer, up to 82% reclaimed for canvas.

Customised bags are different and may contain more or less reclaimed content.

Materials

All our materials are sourced as locally as possible. We begin our search in Brisbane. If there is no supplier available, we look to the next nearest area; occasionally interstate. If there are no suppliers in Australia we are prepared to look overseas. For example we haven't been able to find a supplier of recycled 1000D fabric in Australia; however we have found a few overseas. The reason we prefer local suppliers is to help our local communities, plunge resources back into our local communities, as well as try to reduce our impact through transportation.

Outer Fabric
Our courier bage range is currently constructed from canvas offcuts which would have otherwise been relegated to landfill. This supply is limited, and as such when it runs out we will switch to a 1000D nylon. We chose the 1000D due to its extreme durability characteristics, however it is slightly more expensive than the canvas offering.
This nylon is constructed from virgin materials and is not environmentally friendly. We ultimately want to use a recycled material but unfortunately the cost is prohibitive at our small start up stage. We have found a supplier of 1000D recycled polyester in China, and when we can afford it we will be switching to this fabric.

Lining
Our linings are old reclaimed billboard advertisements. We try and source the brightest, loudest billboards with the funkiest look. These are made from PVC which is notoriously bad for the environment. By diverting this from the landfill and extending the life of the billboard we are helping to reduce its negative impact. These billboards are technically "old" and some do show signs of age.
The PVC fabric is waterproof, making the bag weatherproof. This means that you cannot go for a swim with the bag as water will get in the top. You can however wear the bag in highly miserable weather as the water wont be able to get through the fabric. So no swimming with the bag Thorpie! The lining is also mould and UV resistant.

Buckles & Plastic hardware
The buckles we are currently using are manufactured by ITW Nexus. This company uses a closed loop manufacturing system in that all manufacturing waste during molding is put back into the system for the next batch. This results in a product with 10% - 25% reclaimed waste content. It should be noted that the actual buckles themselves are not green, but the companies procedures are as they reduce waste.
ITW Nexus also offer a range called Factor Green, which use 100% recycled materials. However this range is only available in one of the six plastic hardware pieces that we use. In addition, the strength of the buckle is reduced by around 50%, and isn't available in Australia just yet.

Hook and loop
Unfortunately we only use hook and loop constructed from virgin materials. We do not know of a recycled hook and loop brand; If anyone knows of any please let us know.

Webbing
The webbing used in our packs come from two sources. The first is reclaimed seatbelt webbing which has already lived a life, while the second is virgin polyester webbing which isn't as smooth. This virgin webbing is used instead of the seatbelt webbing due to its ability to hold in our buckles better. We did have the choice to purchase recycled webbing constructed from PET bottles, but again it is very expensive as it comes from overseas. However we will be switching to this webbing in the near future.

Binding
We use nylon binding constructed from virgin materials. We would like to source some recycled binding from the same above webbing supplier, but unfortunately is too expensive at the moment.

Padding
Our two larger sizes, elephantitus and sindrome use an EVA foam for padding. We have experimented with reclaimed cotton batting which absorbed too much water. Another experiment involved bicycle inner tubes, however this was too labor intensive.

Manufacture

Currently we design and manufacture all our bags on site. This means no outsourcing, and no excessive transportation of the bags before they reach you. It also means we are able to greater control the manufacturing process, which is how we know that the following happens!

Patterns
During the design process we try and make our patterns and the layout of the patterns onto fabric as economical as possible. However the stylistic constraints of the courier bag range mean that it isn't as economical as it could possibly be. A box shape is more economical than a tapered sleek courier bag! But who wants to buy a box? Rest assured, we are slowly tweaking our patterns to make it more economical.

Manufacturing scraps
During all manufacturing processes, scrap is developed. We try and use all our scrap so that everything into our design studio is produced into something. For example we keep the bigger scrap pieces for use in future products. Smaller pieces (including thread and webbing offcuts) are collected for use as boxing bag fill. We are not naive though, and realise that eventually one day even the boxing bag will end up in landfill - but thankfully we have extended the life of the scrap. Perhaps by the day it does potentially reach landfill there will be a better solution.

Durability

Fabric
The canvas used in our bags is highly durable, while the billboard is more than suited for the task! The 1000D nylon fabric is equally, if not more durable than the canvas.

Buckles & Plastic hardware
The buckles chosen aren't the strongest from the ITW Nexus range, yet are considerably cheaper. That being said we have extensively tested the durability of our buckles by testing their strength, and impact resistance. See our testing here on our blog. From all our testing we highly anticipate that the buckles will outlive the bag.

Binding of hook and loop
You may notice that we bind the loop. This is very time consuming and adds to the cost of the bag. However it not only increases the aesthetics but also increases the lifespan of the loop. In our analysis of old bags we found that it is the edging of the loop that gives out first. Once this has gone, the loop face itself begin to dissapear, followed by the hooks (if at all!) However this failure of hook is usually around the same time that holes begin to form in the outer fabric of the bag.

Binding of bag
All of the critical weight bearing seams are bound. Binding seams distributes the load from the stitching to the binding which results in a seam that can hold more weight.

Webbing
The webbing chosen for our bags is incredibly strong. For example the 25mm virgin nylon webbing has a load strength of 520kg. The 50mm virgin nylon webbing has a load strength of 1050kg. New seatbelt webbing has a load strength of around 2000kg, but as ours is reclaimed has some cuts or abrasions that will reduce its strength slightly.

Disposal

Fabric
For either fabric option; canvas or nylon, we try to reuse it as much as possible. Often we use it in a downsized product. For example a papermunky can turn into a tool pouch. If the fabric is so dead that we cannot use it we have a few options available. There is the punching bag method - see manufacturing for details - or we can recycle it, or compost it.

Buckles
We highly anticipate that the buckles will outlive the bag, and expect them to be used in future products. Unfortunately other than that they would be relegated to landfill. The material itself can be recycled, but most recycling plants pre-sort their materials and anything that looks slightly different is not recycled. We are currently looking for an industrial recycler who will be able to deal with the buckles, and promise to keep you in the loop regarding our progress.

Webbing
The webbing used in our bags is highly durable and will most likely be reused in a new product. Failing that it will be used in the punching bag fill.

Binding
Unfortunately the binding in our bag can only by relegated to punching bag fill. It is very time consuming to unpick the stiching on the binding, and so we cut it using a Stanley knife. This means that the resulting binding waste also has some of the bag attached. As such it cannot be recycled.

Hook and loop
Unfortunately the hook and loop can only be relegated to landfill. Again it will be pulled out of the recycling pile, and will also not be suitable for the punching bag fill.

Lining
The linings in our bags are down-cycled into a smaller product, or cut up for punching bag fill. Failing that, it would be relegated to trash as they are unfortunately not recyclable.

Padding
Unfortunately we have no idea what to do with this apart from placing it in the trash. We are actively searching for a solution; If you have any suggestions let us know!