It is well known that the world is now swimming in plastic – after all, microplastics have even been found in the Arctic, in the depths of the ocean and, a few months ago, in human blood for the first time. It is no longer possible to do without plastic entirely, and it has become indispensable in many areas (such as medicine). Avoiding plastic where it is not necessary (e.g. in certain packaging) seems to make more sense.
For Berlin-based company Flustix (pronounced Flastiks), a large part of the solution lies in educating and reducing the amount of plastic waste. The company therefore offers the first plastic seal in Europe and maybe even worldwide and awards seals for plastic-free and recycled products or quality seals for recyclability. With its seals, Flustix wants to provide consumers with the best possible information so that they can make the best decision for themselves. This in turn puts pressure on manufacturing companies to produce sustainable goods. FashionUnited spoke to Flustix founder and managing director Malte Biss about which seals are currently available and how to tackle the plastic problem.
“With Flustix we want to reduce the amount of plastic waste. It is important to rethink plastic and not to demonize it, but to reduce plastic exactly where it makes sense: in the consumer area. Flustix-labelled products make a contribution to the health of people and the environment,” explains Biss.
The trained toolmaker founded his interest in materials science in this training before he began studying politics and sports as a second option. He then worked for many years as a journalist for the Burda and Springer companies before he became aware of the plastic challenge at the 2011 World Climate Conference. She couldn’t let him go and led to the founding of Flustix in 2016.
There are currently four different seals: Flustix plastic-free, which certifies a plastic-free product as a whole; Flustix plastic-free without microplastics for products without microplastics, such as the liquid contents of the washing, care and cleaning industry (WPR); Flustix plastic-free packaging for products such as food that must not contain plastic, so only the packaging can be certified, and Flustix plastic-free product, where the product does not contain plastic but must be packaged in plastic, such as (sterile) hygiene products or certain foods .
There is also the Flustix Recycled seal of quality for products/components with recycled content and Flustix Recyclable for recyclable packaging. All seals enable consumers to view the independent certificate transparently online with just a few clicks and to see the exact recycled content at a glance. They are also based on a globally recognized certification program with multi-level control mechanisms in cooperation with the Wessling Group and Din Certco (TÜV Rheinland).
How did the plastic flood come about?
Who is mainly responsible for our plastic flood? “One of the biggest drivers of CO2 in climate change is the production, processing, transport and disposal of plastics. Around 99 percent of all plastics are still based on fossil raw materials, oil and gas,” says Biss.
“Three quarters of the clothing produced today consists of synthetic fibres. Inferiorly manufactured products are hardly or not at all recyclable. In addition, an estimated 500,000 tons of microfibers end up in wastewater through washing every year – the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles,” adds Biss.
“The environmental impact of the textile industry and our consumption are becoming increasingly transparent. So it’s not surprising that the advertising departments are focusing on sustainability. Recycling clothing is en vogue: Unfortunately, many fashion companies use the movement to do greenwashing. The fashion industry should be aware of its responsibility to rely on real sustainable solutions and to follow up its advertising claims with action,” demands Biss.
Keyword greenwashing: According to a recent study by the EU Commission on this subject, 150 environmental claims were evaluated across the EU and in a wide range of product groups. The result: the majority of them (53.3 percent) are vague, misleading or unsubstantiated information about the environmental properties of the products, both in advertising and on the product itself.
The Green Claiming Regulation 2023 is intended to prevent traders from misleading consumers with regard to the ecological and social impact, durability or repairability of their products. The EU directive on the labeling of single-use plastic and its marketing ban since July 3, 2021 are also intended to make products and packaging more transparent and stop the flood of plastic.
Legislation against greenwashing
A lot of work could potentially be added to Flustix: “We had the first customers at the beginning of 2018, the pioneers and some idealists; The first major cosmetics manufacturer then followed in 2019, but also Henkel, Kneipp and the WPR area, which reoriented itself during Corona,” recalls Biss.
“Since the EU switched, we have had more demand, now also from many ‘global brands’, as Flustix is the only registered seal for plastic sustainability in Europe, if not globally. Since the middle of last year, we’ve had a lot of demand,” says Biss.
And that’s a good thing, then Flustix should be “from business for business”. “Before founding the company, I received the following advice: ‘If you build it up, try to do it in harmony with the economy, otherwise nothing will move for a long time’. Flustix should be a bonus, not a penalty, and the system must be open to everyone.”
Finally, FashionUnited wanted to know if everything at Biss is plastic-free. “It’s a discussion every day, dad is really annoying and finds returnable bottles in the yellow bag,” laughs Biss, who has three daughters. He therefore advises to be selective and mono-material when shopping, explaining to every type of product from food packaging to textiles and children that recycled is not always recycled.
He sees the situation at home as an example for that of many households: “More education is needed among end users,” he concludes. “Plastic is a great material, it makes it possible, for example, for everyone to be able to afford warm clothing; it is also indispensable in medicine. Plastic-free is not possible, but plastic is like an antibiotic, if you take it wrong it causes pain and destroys a lot, while in the right dose it is a miracle cure.