Plastic bag funds for innovation projects

Cecilie Lind, CEO of the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund, states that projects aimed at reducing plastic carrier bags have been one of the focus areas in 2023.

– When we search for projects to support, emphasis is placed on the project's quality, environmental impact, and the actor's execution capability. We firmly believe that these three projects will contribute both to the reduction of plastic bags and environmental benefits in society at large.

From linear to circular production

Sisters in Business (SiB) will use plastic waste from Norwegian industry to produce spacious shopping bags, which can replace plastic bags during shopping trips.

The company is a social entrepreneur, a non-profit AS, where the activity creates work for marginalized individuals through local textile production, reuse, and repair.

SiB will utilize the support to map which materials are best suited for the purpose; lice skirts from salmon farming, malt bags from breweries, tarpaulin from construction, spinnaker sails, or perhaps tarpaulin in thinner materials? They will find suppliers and explore cooperation with companies and locations that can handle washing, drying, and rough cutting of material. Additionally, test production will be conducted at the factory in Slemmestad. The goal is a shopping bag with a repair and lifetime guarantee, where production creates jobs.

– Sisters in Business is an example of how sustainability ambitions can become profitable businesses. With support from the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund, we can create an even better product, work towards long-term partnerships, and ensure more jobs, says Marianne Hildeng Vigneau, leader of this project at Sisters in Business.

Waterproof Reuse

Opplett Norge designs and produces waterproof carrier bags using offcuts from Gore-Tex material and other rainwear fabrics that would otherwise be discarded. The quality of the materials used ensures that the products have a long lifespan. Collaboration with businesses has contributed to them receiving offcuts of sailcloth, used cargo straps, returned rainwear, and leftover materials from rainwear production.

The production takes place locally in Bergen, and Opplett collaborates with rehabilitation companies that assist people in returning to the workforce. With support from the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund, Opplett can scale up, thereby expanding collaboration with businesses, workplaces, and sales operators.

– Thanks to this support, we have the opportunity to continue and scale up our efforts to reduce plastic bag consumption and resource wastage - we are very grateful for that! We will focus on creating local engagement and have many exciting plans for the year, which we look forward to, says William Ingvaldsen, CEO of Opplett Norge.

Durable healthcare garments become durable shopping bags

Health Workers supplies workwear and accessories to healthcare personnel in private and public clinics, institutions, doctors' and dentists' offices, and healthcare students across the country.

Through the brand HWReuse!, they engage in the repair, reuse, and redesign of used healthcare garments and textiles. In the healthcare industry, textiles such as used uniforms and bedding are discarded when they are worn at the seams, stained, or have other visual defects. Often, parts of the textile, such as the front and back panels of tunics or parts of trouser legs from discarded uniforms, are still of good quality. The textiles contain about 60% polyester and 40% cotton, and the high polyester content provides high durability, making the textiles well-suited as shopping bags.

– We are very grateful for the support we receive from the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund, without this support we could not have carried out the project. We are now excited to ramp up production and introduce the shopping bags to the market, says CEO Pål Erik Haraldsen.

Health Workers aims to upscale the production of shopping bags from used healthcare uniforms. They have received support to investigate how this can best be accomplished. How can existing elements in the uniforms be used in an efficient way? And which uniform sizes, models, colors, and fabric qualities are suitable, both for the market and consistent material availability?