We have a minimal approach to packaging....
Hilltop Cloud has always tried to use packaging responsibly.
In general if a piece of packaging is there, it's because it needs to be there. It's designed to keep your fibre safe, while it travels through the postal system.
We don't include lots of extra "stuff", we don't do gift-style wrapping. We use quality packaging that can often be used again and again.
There is no one size fits all solution for sending out the fibre that we stock, fibre is a very different beast to pack compared to yarn. Paper bags or tissue paper don't survive the post well, and provide absolutely no protection for the fibres. I would rather use a solution that gives protection to your order, than something that only looks pretty, and then is immediately thrown away.
In general if a piece of packaging is there, it's because it needs to be there. It's designed to keep your fibre safe, while it travels through the postal system.
We don't include lots of extra "stuff", we don't do gift-style wrapping. We use quality packaging that can often be used again and again.
There is no one size fits all solution for sending out the fibre that we stock, fibre is a very different beast to pack compared to yarn. Paper bags or tissue paper don't survive the post well, and provide absolutely no protection for the fibres. I would rather use a solution that gives protection to your order, than something that only looks pretty, and then is immediately thrown away.
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Gradient Packs, the Never Ending Gradient Club and other mixed colour packs are packed in clear film based bags. We are slowly transitioning to a cellulose film bag. This is made from wood pulp that comes from managed plantations. It is compostable, and can be added to your home compost heap, where it should break down like any other plant based material you add. If your fibre is packed in a cellulose bag then the closure sticker will tell you that it is compostable.
If you don't have a home compost heap then these bags will still break down in a landfill environment, so you can include them in your household rubbish. You can try adding them to the compostable waste collected by your local council, but because they still look like plastic you may find they refuse to collect your waste. The sticky tape I use to help close these bags is also cellulose based. 
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Previously I have used plastic grip seal bags to send out fibres. I've always used as few bags as possible. These bags give the fibre excellent protection from changes in humidity, temperature, and if the parcel gets left out in the rain. Occasionally mailer bags get ripped open during their travels, and I have always preferred to give the fibre an extra layer of protection. I know that many of you have used the bags for storage of your fibres. Whilst plastic, they were of high quality and could be used over and over again. Until recently there was no alternative these bags, but new packaging solutions are being made available all the time.
There will still be some re-usable, grip-seal plastic bags that I have to use. But some fibres, including the Time Travellers Club will be going out in new biodegradable pouches.
These pouches are sturdy enough to remove the need to send them in another layer of packaging, so if you just order single types of fibre, you may find your order arriving in one of these bags. We will always use as little packaging as possible.
They are made from 45-60% renewable wood pulp, and when placed in a composting environment will break down in 3 months (what we really need is for our waste collection services to start recognising the rose of this sort of plastic, and to collect them to go the specialist compost facilities where they break down very quickly). You can also carry on re-using them for storage. These bags will first break down in small pieces, and then break down in to Carbon Dioxide, Water and trace minerals. These pouches are tougher than cellophane, so it's unlikely your home compost heap will manage to break these bags down properly. The recommendation from my supplier is that these bags go in your regular household waste.
A UK study found that oxo-biodegradable polythene films were mechanically and chemically broken down in an operating landfill, degrading over a period of 11 months from a molecular weight of 115,000 Daltons (the unit of atomic mass) to 4,250 Daltons - i.e. less than 4% of its starting weight and to a value (<5,000 Daltons) considered to reach total degradation as per International Standard ASTM6954 (Guide for Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics).
I will be burying a couple of these bags in our home compost heap, and I will update this page with how they break down.
There will still be some re-usable, grip-seal plastic bags that I have to use. But some fibres, including the Time Travellers Club will be going out in new biodegradable pouches.
These pouches are sturdy enough to remove the need to send them in another layer of packaging, so if you just order single types of fibre, you may find your order arriving in one of these bags. We will always use as little packaging as possible.
They are made from 45-60% renewable wood pulp, and when placed in a composting environment will break down in 3 months (what we really need is for our waste collection services to start recognising the rose of this sort of plastic, and to collect them to go the specialist compost facilities where they break down very quickly). You can also carry on re-using them for storage. These bags will first break down in small pieces, and then break down in to Carbon Dioxide, Water and trace minerals. These pouches are tougher than cellophane, so it's unlikely your home compost heap will manage to break these bags down properly. The recommendation from my supplier is that these bags go in your regular household waste.
A UK study found that oxo-biodegradable polythene films were mechanically and chemically broken down in an operating landfill, degrading over a period of 11 months from a molecular weight of 115,000 Daltons (the unit of atomic mass) to 4,250 Daltons - i.e. less than 4% of its starting weight and to a value (<5,000 Daltons) considered to reach total degradation as per International Standard ASTM6954 (Guide for Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics).
I will be burying a couple of these bags in our home compost heap, and I will update this page with how they break down.
The grey mailer bags that I use have always been biodegradable, but I am now using ones that are also made from 100% recycled plastic. These do not meet the European standard to be declared compostable, but will start to break down in 12 months, from the time they are exposed to sunlight. Again, the recommendation is that these bags will break down in a landfill site, or they can be sent for further recycling in the same way you would a normal plastic bag (supermarkets often have bag collection points.
You can red more about biodegradable plastics here.
You can red more about biodegradable plastics here.
Most of the packaging that comes in to the business, is re-used, or sent for recycling.
Hilltop CloudHilltop Cloud- Spin Different
Beautiful fibre you'll love to work with. Established 2011 VAT Reg- 209 4066 19 Dugoed Bach, Mallwyd, Machynlleth,
Powys, SY20 9HR |
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