Like many transformative ideas, the genesis behind TIPA, an Israeli company with a novel way to reduce plastics in the environment, came from the need to solve an obvious problem. Daphna Nissenbaum, TIPA’s CEO, and co-founder was bothered by the mountain of plastics around her and wanted to find a solution that would benefit her son and others moving forward.
“If you think about nature’s packaging, such as an orange peel, or banana peel,” TIPA’s vice president for North America, Michael Waas, told The Spoon in a recent interview. “We don’t see the Mt. Rainier of banana peels or orange peels because they all break down. And so (Nissenbaum) thought, ‘I need to do something about this for my kids’ and turned her focus on finding a compostable solution inspired by nature.”
For TIPA, it’s all about flexible plastics—those water bottles and food packaging that may wind up at a recycling center but are challenging to become part of a circular economy where materials can be reused for another valuable purpose. Founded in 2010, TIPA’s vision for flexible packaging is to create compostable packaging with the same qualities as conventional plastic, such as durability and shelf life. In particular, for food packaging, compostable material will add days to the freshness of bagged produce and other foods.
Waas explains that TIPA uses polymers that are both bio-based and petroleum-based, which seems contrary to the company’s overall mission. “You’re probably thinking that doesn’t make any sense,” Waas said about petroleum-based polymers. “You can have fossil-based, petroleum-based polymers designed to be fully compostable and bio-based polymers that are not compostable. So, it’s two different challenges. One is the source of the material, whether it’s coming from oil or a bio-based source, and then what happens to it at the end of life. And so TPA uses a combination of both bio and fossil-based, but absolutely everything we produce is certified compostable.”
“We spend a lot of time working on what works and what doesn’t,” Waas added.
TIPA takes a broad approach to the business side of creating a viable system for the circular economy. The Israeli company can manufacture packaging for clients or provide the compostable film to clients or their packaging partners. “We focused on developing the IP and the technology around the solutions. Then, we work with best-in-class manufacturing partners to produce the film or the laminate,” Waas said. We’re doing that because it allows us flexibility for customers.”
The EPA points out that composting enriches the soil, helping retain moisture and suppress plant diseases and pests; reduces the need for chemical fertilizers; encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, a rich nutrient-filled material, and reduces methane emissions from landfills and lowers your carbon footprint.
Creating a compostable future is an obvious path to a greener world, but are consumers ready to make an effort to go through the process of composting? Several surveys indicate that most consumers would compost if it were more accessible. More than 180 communities in the U.S. have composting programs, including such cities as Portland, San Francisco, Boulder, and Seattle have city-wide composting programs.
Even with the ready availability of municipal composting programs and consumers’ general sense they would use composting if made available, Waas believes that consumer education is critical.
“We work with our customers to help them communicate that the package is recyclable because we want this packaging to end up in the right facility, whether that’s in somebody’s backyard or at an industrial compost facility,” Waas said. “And that means consumers have to know that it’s compostable and put it in the right place.”
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