Israeli Company’s Compostable Plastic Packaging Leaves No More Residue Than an Orange Peel

The Israeli company TIPA has invented a fully compostable flexible packaging that degrades within six months into biodegradable compost, similar to the fate of an orange peel. Unlike conventional plastic packaging, which degrades into microparticles, TIPA’s films and laminates leave behind no more residue than a biodegradable fruit. The company was founded by a former software engineer who was motivated to take action by her children’s habit of using large amounts of disposable plastic water bottles. Her solution was to create packaging that mimics the practical characteristics of plastic but not its environmentally-destructive ones. Among the companies working with TIPA are Dutch organic cereals manufacturer De Halm and the luxury women’s clothing designer Gabriela Hearst. Flexible plastics are one of the world’s most pressing environmental problems as demand for them continues to rise, but they are difficult to recycle; upon their disposal, they linger in garbage dumps for up to 400 years.