A typical backpack might have as many as 50 components—zippers, lining, threads, reinforcements—all made from a mix of materials glued or welded, or sewn together. That’s part of the reason they’re also hard to recycle since the materials can’t easily or economically be separated. But a handful of companies are beginning to shift to designs made instead from a single material.
Troubadour, a London-based brand, released a Circular Collection of four bags earlier this year with every part, including zippers, made solely from recycled PET, the same material used to make water bottles. “To create a circular bag that can be recycled and does not result in downgrading of the materials when recycled, one molecule needs to be the source of all components,” says cofounder Abel Samet. “That is super challenging.”
Dispatches From The Front 