At Aster & Oak, we not only want to talk the talk towards a more sustainable future but we also want to walk it. Making steps towards a sustainable future is at the core of our ethos and something that we are so incredibly passionate about which is why we’re so excited to announce our brand new packaging.
Our new AW21 collection will come to you in our brand new sustainable & compostable packaging. Yay!! So what makes it so different?
Tissue Paper – Our custom tissue paper is printed with soy ink, 100% FSC certified and acid free making it easily recycled or composted. We are also part of the Eco packaging alliance, which means that every order we make, they plant trees to replenish the forest and help replace what we use - 29,919 trees planted worldwide so far!
Garment Bags – Located on the outside of the garment, these clear bags help protect our garments from dust, moisture and contaminants and can also be thrown in compost, buried in the dirt or put into the FOGO bin.
Postage Satchels - Our postage satchels are now 100% biodegradable and compostable and made from PLA, PBAT + Cornstarch. This means you can throw them in the compost, FOGO bin or even bury them in the dirt outside and they’ll go on to live another life that won’t cost the earth. Basically, future generations won’t feel the effect of this type of packaging. Traditional plastic packaging takes 100’s of years to break down in landfill and contributes to the growing problem caused by over-consumption and plastic use.
Now you know what will happen to your packaging after you’re finished with it, the next big question is…What are they made up of?
PLA (polylactic acid)
Also known as polylactide, PLA is obtained from renewable and natural raw materials such as corn. The starch (glucose) is extracted from the plants and converted into dextrose by the addition of enzymes. This is fermented by microorganisms into lactic acid, which in turn is converted into polylactide. Polymerisation produces long-linked molecular chains whose properties resemble those of petroleum-based polymers. This is the glue that binds your packaging together using natural resources with minimal impact on our environment.
PBAT (polybutylene adipate terephthalate)
PBAT is a fully biodegradable polymer that breaks down completely and leaves no toxic residues behind when composted.
Cornstarch (from corn not fit for consumption)
Well we all know what that is! But for those of you playing along at home who aren’t sure, Corn starch, also known as maize starch, it is starch that comes from corn kernels, it doesn’t get more natural than that.
If our packaging is placed in a microbe-rich environment to help it break down, it can take a short time to live out its life cycle. Whereas biodegradable plastic bags can take anywhere from a few months, to a few years to fully break down. This is incredibly exciting because compared to traditional plastic bags which take hundreds of years to break down the environmental footprint they leave is far less than its traditional counterpart and even some of the sustainable options currently available.
Our packaging also carries the European & Australian certifications for being home compostable. We let some of our family and friends test the bags for themselves in their home composts and let me tell you, worm food at its finest!
Again, like every solution to this ever-growing problem we are always on the lookout to improve our processes to ensure we’re keeping things as sustainable as possible, we feel this is an incredibly exciting option while still protecting your precious garments from dust, debris and contaminants.
