Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2023 - 16

Q&A
Designing out
waste and pollution
with compostable
packaging
Daphna Nissenbaum
Israel-headquartered TIPA was founded
in 2010 by Daphna Nissenbaum and
Tal Neuman to address the challenge
of developing a sustainable alternative
for flexible plastic packaging. The
flexible packaging solution created by
the company has the same end of life
as organic matter while maintaining
the qualities of conventional plastics.
The solution, inspired by nature,
has already replaced thousands of
tons of conventional plastic. In this
interview, Daphna Nissenbaum talks
to Sustainable Plastics about the role of
TIPA's compostable plastic eco-friendly
packaging solutions in achieving a zerowaste
economy.
16
January/February 2023
How did TIPA get started?
TIPA was born from a discussion
I had with one of my kids
about why he hadn't returned
his water bottle from school. I
could not stop thinking about
all that plastic waste and pollution.
I kept thinking there had
to be a solution to this problem.
I asked myself what we
could throw out without feeling
guilty about the environment
and immediately thought: organic
waste. I then met my
co-founder and we started
developing compostable plastic
as an alternative to plastic
bottles, but finding material on
the market that was suitable
for the water bags was difficult.
As flexible plastic makes up
25% of all global plastic waste,
we decided to focus on flexible
plastic packaging, a huge
problem, especially in the food
industry. This kind of packaging
is in high demand on the
market, and this is what we
have been developing for the
past 10 years.
Can you talk about some
of the challenges you encountered
in marketing your
packaging?
Plastic is ubiquitous in our daily
lives. Almost every industry in
the world has been transformed
by plastic innovation. Plastics
have been used in food packaging
for several decades; it is
easy and convenient, in addition
to keeping food fresh and
clothes clean. It is not easy for
businesses to transition from
a material that they have used
for so long to a more expensive
one. Fortunately, many businesses
have made the switch
in recent years, and many more
are seriously considering it due
to their customers' demands
or because of their increased
awareness of the tremendous
harm it causes.
Are you competitive in terms
of price?
To find the most suitable material
and properties for each customer,
our products go through
a long procedure of research
and development. Additionally,
our products must adhere to
the highest standards for compostable
certifications in order
to be certified by globally established
bodies. All of these
factors increase the cost of our
products compared to noncompostable
packaging.
What is the difference in composition
between your industrial-
and home-compostable
packaging?
A home composter's conditions
vary and are dependent on the
weather, the composter's mixture,
etc. This is in contrast to
the steady and consistent conditions
that are maintained at
industrial composting facilities.
This is why home-compostable
packaging is made up of different
formulations that will indeed
decompose in the home
composter, despite the varying
conditions.
How has TIPA's strong growth
in recent years affected your
organisation?
Our organisation has indeed
grown, and we have stepped
up our efforts to provide our
customers with the best support
and service possible;
more investment has been
made in R&D, and the team is
working tirelessly to find compostable
solutions for the market's
demands. We want the
whole world to know there is
a viable alternative to the conventional
plastics that we have
used for decades. Moving forward,
we intend to focus on
the European, American and
Australian markets.
In the EU's proposals for a new
Plastic Packaging and Waste
Regulation, compostable
packaging seems not to be an
option the EU wishes to pursue.
Why is that do you think?
In the complicated arena of
plastic waste management,
there are many stakeholders,
each with its own agenda.
There is a need for a diverse approach,
an understanding that
different areas need different
Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2023
