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Troubadour’s new Orbis collection.
based in london bard launched a collection of perfectly circular bags this month. Yes, just send the bag in after you’ve finished using it (preferably after at least five years of use) and the company can take it apart and turn it into a new bag, says co-founder Samuel Vail. Say Troubadour’s.
The effort to create a truly circular bag has been going on for years, adds Samantha Jacob, Creative Director of Troubadour.
A new fully circular collection called Orbis features two backpack styles, a duffle and a laptop tote. Basically, the team wanted to make it more “sustainable” he’s three best-selling categories.
Jacob worked with manufacturers to simplify the number of materials used in each bag, making the recycling process easier. A bag typically contains about 40 components, but the circular collection design has only 16 components, which is less than half.
“The biggest problem with recycling is that it has so many components that a lot of energy is spent breaking the item down and separating all the different materials,” says Jacob.
So we had to start at the design stage. Through countless iterations, Jacob has come up with a design that preserves the charm of his Troubadour bags (quality, aesthetics and practicality) while using less material.
Three areas of the product became a challenge. The lining used inside the bag, the PU (polymer-based) adhesive that holds the various layers of the bag together, and finally the leather.
“One of the most difficult materials to replace is the PU glue used to join the various parts of the bag together. Yes, the individual layers themselves were made of circular material, but I asked, “What do you use to hold it together?” And the answer we got, along with some grins, was PU glue. ”
So it took years to find a way around those hurdles, Jacob reiterates. But it eventually did, and the new Orbis collection is now available in London stores and online. If the customer wants to return the bag, they will receive a pre-paid label to send it back to a recycler in the UK (more will be added in the coming years to reduce shipping distances).
Although the bag is made of polyester, Bale and Jacob say using one material allows for a fully recyclable bag.
“We ended up choosing polyester because it doesn’t degrade when recycled. Some materials lose strength when you try to reuse them. “We know we can get another bag that is more durable at ,” adds Vail. .”
Troubadour has set an ambitious goal of turning its entire product range circular by the end of 2024.
“When we tried to do this, a lot of people said, ‘Don’t do this.’ It’s too early. It’s not possible,” says Vail. “But one of the exciting things for us is that we can do it. Hopefully we can show other people how it is done. We really hope they will copy what we do, and that’s our number one goal here.”
Despite the “madness” of the project, one of the manufacturers actually became an ambassador for the circular initiative, according to Jacob, rallying more people within the industry to tackle the challenge. “We are finding that manufacturers want us to go on this journey with them and are willing to cooperate even if we make them a little angry. Definitely worth it,” adds Jacob.