On average, 90% of all rubbish floating on the ocean’s surface is plastic: it can take up to 10 centuries, or 1000 years, for this plastic to degrade. It is estimated that over 100,000,000 mammals and over a million seabirds die annually because of the vast amounts of plastic polluting the oceans. Musto is committed to do its part helping to stop these debilitating effects spreading further.
Musto’s partnership with Vestas 11th Hour Racing in the Volvo Ocean Race marks a major milestone on and off the race track. So when Vestas 11th Hour Racing challenged Musto to reduce the environmental impact of the plastic packaging used to deliver garments, Musto paid attention.
The process hasn’t come without its own unique set of obstacles. Imagine buying a jacket only to find that the packaging has fallen apart around it and failed to protect it from the warehouse to your door. The brand faced the obstacle of finding packaging as durable as plastic, which ruled out more eco-friendly packaging such as paper.
Working with Vestas 11th Hour Racing and the sustainability team at the Volvo Ocean Race, Musto identified areas where improvements were possible. Musto recognised that waste generated during the production of packaging, such as punch-out holes and trimmings, could be the key for making new garment bags for delivery. This led to the development of their innovative plastic packaging, which is 40% smaller and 50% thinner and a bag that now uses 70% less plastic. It also contains 30% recycled content in the material to reduce its environmental impact even further.
“Musto is set to save 11 tonnes of plastic a year. The packaging innovation will reduce the amount of plastic used by 70% from 2018.”
Musto has committed to rolling out this packaging on all product ranges in 2018, saving 11 tonnes of plastic a year: the equivalent of over 61,000 plastic bottles. And to keep driving forward in this area, Musto has also appointed an Acting Sustainability Officer, Annaleigh Hockaday – a senior designer who has been passionately vocal about eco-friendly practises for a number of years.
