TIPA to help reduce plastic waste on film and TV sets

Biodegradable packaging company TIPA has joined forces with compostable packaging supplier Simply Stem to provide compostable garment bags to costume departments on TV and film sets.

The partnership, announced yesterday (5 May), will aim to reduce the amount of plastic waste on film sets, with major motion pictures currently generating an average of 2,840 tonnes of CO2 each.

Simply Stem was set up in 2020 with the purpose of significantly reducing the amount of plastic waste produced on film sets – particularly in terms of the disposable plastic polybags used to store and protect garments.

These plastic polybags often end up in landfill or are incinerated once filming finishes.

So far, Simply Stem and TIPA have supplied compostable garment bags to productions across the UK aired on the BBC, Netflix and Disney.

TIPA is in the process of establishing a closed-loop collaboration between Simply Stem and composting site operator Envar Composting to ensure the garment bags are successfully composted after they have been used.

Charlotte Michel, Co-Founder of Simply Stem, said: “Working in the industry, we have seen first hand the amount of waste that is produced throughout filming.

“We knew there had to be more sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic out there and that is why we started Simply Stem, to make them readily available to our colleagues and the industry we work in.

“Since January alone, orders for our compostable catering items have doubled and there is a clear demand from the industry for sustainable materials.

“TIPA’s garment bags are the perfect addition to our product line-up as we seek to find innovative solutions for all departments on set.

“The feedback from costume teams has been great so far, and we look forward to working with more productions over the coming months.”

Daphna Nissenbaum, Co-Founder and CEO of TIPA, said: “It’s encouraging to see the entertainment industry seeking out plastic free alternatives to reduce the impact that TV and film productions have on the environment.

“It is more important than ever that industries of this scale move away from unsustainable practices and single use plastic, and we’ve been so impressed by the work Simply Stem is doing to make this happen.

“TIPA’s garment bags are a viable solution to the amount of plastic that is used in costume departments and we now hope to see compostable packaging become commonplace on set across the board.”