New company wants to halt the use of virgin plastic ‘full stop'

Archwey is a new name in the plastics industry, but it’s one that means business. As the holding company of a group of three companies, each of which is innovating in the field of reusing and reducing plastic waste, Archwey has a mission: to rid the world of virgin plastic - full-stop.

It also has a plan on how to do this.

The three group member companies - Arch & Hook, Shieldler, and PlasticBean - all make use of Archwey’s proprietary GRS-certified Bluewave thermoplastic material to produce sustainable solutions for the manufacture, display and transport of products in the fashion, retail, hospitality and healthcare sectors.
Archwey’s Bluewave resin is made from 100% recycled ocean-bound plastic, marine plastic and post-consumer plastic, mainly collected from four of the most polluted rivers in the world. Over the past 18 months alone, Archwey has recycled and cleaned 32,500 tonnes of plastic waste, which have been used to create innovative materials and new products.

Styling itself as the 'sustainable materials engineering group', the company points to the eight million pieces of plastic pollution that are estimated to enter the oceans on a daily basis and to the fact that producing one tonne of plastic generates up to 2.5 tonnes CO2 emissions and has vowed to push for change. It has set clear goals to be achieved, including:

• Ensuring all subsidiary companies become B Corp-certified within the next two years.
• Doubling the amount of plastic waste it recycles and cleans from 32,500 to 65,000 tonnes by the end of 2023.
• Contributing to global decarbonisation by growing the group's use of green energy and decreasing the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of its Bluewave-made products by 20% by the end of 2023.
• Investing in/collaborating on research into microplastics and their effect on biodiversity.

“The raw materials that industries need already exist,” said Archwey Chief Executive Officer Sjoerd Fauser. “By utilising and supporting smart engineering solutions and bringing to market sustainable products for industry, the creation of new plastic is completely unnecessary. We are here to show the world that recycling is the key to decarbonisation, and have advanced the way materials are being reused. We are committed to creating a world without single-use plastic, and a more sustainable planet for future generations.”

The three companies in the Group each play a role in the fulfilment of Archwey’s mission. Arch & Hook is a sustainable materials engineering company that develops recycled and recyclable alternatives to non-sustainable materials within the fashion and retail industries and the world's leading sustainable clothes-hanger brand. Its collaboration with TNO on an LCA of thermoplastic hangers is one of the first of its kind. Future affiliations with institutions, universities and charities are underway and forthcoming with Archwey planning to establish its own global R&D innovation centres. The company has partnered with major players in the fashion industry, such as Roland Mouret, Levi’s, Under Armour, and Selfridges. Click here to read the feature about Arch & Hook in Sustainable Plastics.

Shieldler re-engineers materials to make healthcare sustainable, providing recycled and recyclable alternatives to environmentally-damaging product models, such as pill bottles, supplement packaging and organisers, blister packs, first aid kits and more.

PlasticBean produces and sells the different grades of Archwey’s Bluewave R-Plastics recycled resin, including rPET, rHDPE, rLDPE, rPP, rABS and more, with 100% recycled content and guaranteed indefinite recyclability.

Archwey chose to launch in Singapore, a city it views as ‘primed to become one of the most sustainable cities in the world’. Its ‘global push towards a sustainable environment was a compelling factor in our decision to relocate our headquarters here’, explained Fauser.

“Singapore’s Green Plan 2030, and its Zero Waste Masterplan, resonate and converge with Archwey’s own vision of the elimination of single-use plastic, its climate ambitions reflecting our resolve for concrete and urgent action to be taken to address climate change.”