Solo New York Advances Sustainability Leadership with New FSC-Certified Packaging Standards

October 14, 2020

One of the Biggest Bag Companies in North America Announces Shift to 100% FSC-Certified Recycled and Biodegradable Packaging

NEW YORK, NY – October 14, 2020 – Solo New York (http://solo-ny.com), a global sustainability leader and one of the largest bag brands in the world, today announced that its new environmentally-friendly sustainable packaging standards are 100% recycled, recyclable, biodegradable, and FSC certified.

The new packaging standards are part of Solo’s broader sustainability plans to significantly reduce the company’s landfill deposit and reduce pollution while making sustainable bags accessible and affordable for a wide audience. In 2020, Solo received the “Sustainability Initiative of the Year” award from the Business Intelligence Group for its Re:cycled Collection of bags and broader sustainability programs.

“Over the past several years, we’ve launched multiple complementary initiatives to improve the sustainability of our products, processes, and packaging, and are very proud of the progress that we’ve made,” said Serkan Anders, Solo New York Vice President of Marketing. “We’re confident that there’s no other bag company of our size that’s pursuing zero-impact packaging or has secured the FSC Certified Recycled badge across its packaging, and we hope that it creates a clear call for action in the category.”

The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) is an independent, non-profit organization that establishes standards for responsible forest management. The certification ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits. Solo has received the top level of certification meaning that all paper used in the packaging of its bags is recycled.

In 2019, Solo started reevaluating packaging for all of its products including tablet case boxes, hang tags, stuffing, and poly bags, with the goal of finding more sustainable options. The announcement signifies the brand’s progress across the board, with major sustainability and waste reduction results, including:

• All retail hang tags, tablet cases and laptop sleeves are made from 100% recycled post-consumer waste and 100% biodegradable materials that are FSC Certified Recycled.
• All strings are eco friendly made with cotton made from 100% recycled materials and are 100% biodegradable.
• All retail T-hook attachments are designed to biodegrade to their essential components when discarded.
• All hang tag closures are made from recycled materials and are 100% biodegradable.
• Solo uses an eco-friendly soybean oil and water-based varnish coating on all packaging materials which significantly expedites biodegradability.
• FSC certification also indicates that Solo’s processes are clean and environmentally safe, avoiding the use of harsh chemicals and pollutants.

To secure the new eco-friendly materials, Solo had to run a series of tests on the impact of heat, hanging and transportation to ensure that the materials would meet the quality standards of Solo and its retail partners. For example, Solo had the goal to create a peg hook strong enough to support its tablet cases for periods of time and withstand the retail environment while being environmentally friendly. After a process of investigating and testing a variety of different materials from paper pulp to recycled paper, Solo custom-built its own recyclable peg hook hanger made of 30% PET bottles, which also further can be recycled providing an eco-friendly and extremely strong solution.

“Our entire team has been working incredibly hard to source, test and finalize all of our new packaging standards, and we are very proud to receive certification by the FSC,” added Anders. “Sustainability is a core tenant of the Solo brand and we have many more exciting plans ahead for both product and packaging.”

The brand’s next new sustainable packaging initiative will be replacing the use of poly bags (necessary for keeping moisture out during transport) with biodegradable and compostable bags made of non-GMO corn starch on it’s eco-friendly products.

About Solo New York:

Founded in 2008, Solo is one of the largest bag brands in North America, and is part of US Luggage Co., a third-generation family owned and operated NY company. Solo New York takes design inspiration from the streets of New York, and is known for making stylish, sustainable, tech-ready backpacks, totes, duffels, briefs, and sleeves. Solo New York’s Re:cycled Collection, first announced in early 2020, uses material made from recycled PET bottles. Learn more at https://solo-ny.com and on Instagram, @SoloNewYork.