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Bags from recycled materials

Last updated: Apr 6, 2023

Summary

In 1993, graphic designers Markus and Daniel Freitag were looking for a functional, water-repellent and robust bag to hold their creative work. Inspired by the multicolored heavy traffic that rumbled through the Zurich transit intersection in front of their flat, they developed a messenger bag from used truck tarpaulins, discarded bicycle inner tubes and car seat belts. This is how the first FREITAG bags took shape in the living room of their shared apartment – each one recycled, each one unique.

Freitag currently employs more than 80 people and, due to its successful business, is planning to increase the team even more.

Problem

Truck tarps, composed of PVC, spend five to eight years on the road. After this use, they usually get incinerated or end up as landfill waste, which expels toxic compounds.

Solution

FREITAG designs and produces bags, made out of discarded truck tarps. The company sources 500 tonnes of used tarp material every year from around Europe, from Sweden to Portugal, to the factory. If your unique tarp product ever needs a repair, the company can fix it for you. And if at some time in the distant future, it’s no longer your favorite, you can swap it with someone from the F-Community on our S.W.A.P. (Shopping Without Any Payment) bag exchange platform. Therefore, it is a material that is kept in circulation as long as possible.

To obtain, soft, light and flexible material, the company uses a PFC-free fabric from one of its partners made from 100% recycled PET. The yarn is dyed during the spinning process using the so-called spinneret technique, which requires far less water, chemicals and energy than the conventional piece-dyeing method.

Outcome

Extending the life of materials allows the company to minimise waste and emissions resulting from burning this waste. In addition, using PFC-free fabric also reduces use of water, chemicals and energy.