Backpack brand is ‘plastic negative’

Travel bag and backpack brand Solgaard has announced that the company has achieved its “plastic negative” sustainability goal through the use of recycled materials and upcycled ocean-bound plastic in all of its products, in addition to an offset of a minimum of five pounds of ocean-bound plastic prevented from entering the ocean per product purchased. The company, based in New York City, reports pulling the equivalent of 12 million ocean-bound plastic bottles since 2019 in cooperation with its network of plastic collection partners. 

Solgaard’s cultivation of its portfolio of sustainable manufacturing materials and proprietary fabrics began in 2019, with the launch of its upcycled ocean-bound plastic fabric, Shore-Tex^™, recognized by Fast Company as a 2020 “World Changing Ideas” finalist. 

“We approach our products as a dual innovation opportunity; via both sustainable sourcing and manufacturing, paired with consumer-friendly designs of premium quality. By saving 229 plastic bottles from the ocean with every item sold, we are scaling our impact by more than five times than by simply electing to utilize recycled materials in our products,” said Adrian Solgaard, Solgaard founder and CEO.