Advancing Sustainable Luggage

Travel Sentry Resources | September 2024

Advancing Sustainable Luggage: Eco-Friendly Innovations

Table of Contents

1. Innovative Approaches in Manufacturing

2. Injection Moulding and Recycled Polycarbonate Exteriors

3. Recycled Materials in Luggage Manufacturing

4. Sustainable Practices in Packaging

5. Lifetime Warranty: A Commitment to Durability

6. Life Cycle

7. Travel Sentry x Swiss Climate 

1. Innovative Approaches Manufacturing

To reach a net-zero carbon footprint by 2040, we must look at industries working on cleaner energy solutions. This includes decarbonizing natural gases without major infrastructure changes. As consumers demand more sustainable products and manufacturing, many of our lock manufacturers are implementing more environmentally friendly processes. The focus is on installing environmental equipment, correcting waste gas and wastewater treatment, and recycling old equipment. 

Since 2017, the Net Zero Initiative entered a new stage, focusing on installing new energy and solar panel equipment, using green energy, reducing carbon emissions, and optimizing energy costs. 

By 2018, all lock factories and partners using the Travel Sentry system had started to install and use environmental protection equipment, including equipment to clean exhaust gas, wastewater collection, minimize plastic in packaging, and solar panels.

Key Considerations for Sustainable Luggage Design:

Material Selection: Opting for durable and recyclable materials, such as recycled polycarbonate for hard shells and rPET fabrics for soft luggage, can significantly reduce the ecological footprint.

Modular Design: Creating luggage with replaceable parts allows for easy repair and upgrades, extending the product’s lifespan and reducing waste.

Disassembly: Designing products that can be easily disassembled at the end of their life facilitates recycling and reusing parts, ensuring that fewer materials end up in landfills.

2. Injection Molding and Recycled Polycarbonate Exteriors

Integrating eco-friendly practices such as using recycled polycarbonate and advanced injection molding techniques sets new standards in the evolving landscape of sustainable suitcases. This approach supports sustainability and ensures the production of durable and efficient travel luggage.

Injection molding is a key process in manufacturing durable goods like luggage. Modern machines are highly energy-efficient and capable of precise material control, reducing waste. It's ideal for creating robust luggage exteriors and intricate components. The process allows for high repeatability, maintaining quality across large production runs. Additionally, it operates at lower temperatures and pressures, reducing energy use and enhancing sustainability.

Using recycled polycarbonate in the luggage industry is popular due to its durability and lower environmental impact. It helps reduce reliance on fossil fuels, lessens production impact on natural resources, and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, using recycled polycarbonate requires less energy, contributing to a substantial reduction in carbon footprint for each piece of luggage.

3. Recycled Materials in Luggage Manufacturing

Soft side Suitcases

Soft-side luggage traditionally uses fabrics like nylon and polyester. Today, many brands are shifting towards using eco-friendly materials and fabrics made from recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, commonly known as rPET. This material is created by collecting, sorting, and recycling used plastic bottles, turning them into high-quality yarn. The yarn is then woven into fabrics with the same durability, water resistance, and tear strength as new materials.

Hard Shell Suitcases

For hard shell luggage, the transition to recycled materials is equally innovative. Recycled polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastics are popular choices. These materials are sourced from post-industrial and post-consumer waste, providing an eco-friendly alternative to newly manufactured plastics.

Recycled polycarbonate offers high impact resistance, making it ideal against rough baggage handling during travel. Polycarbonate is elastic and can easily be fixed when it develops indentations over time. On the other hand, ABS, which is a rigid material, is more prone to cracking under pressure and susceptible to UV radiation.

4.  Sustainable Practices in Packaging

1. Biodegradable Materials: Use packaging materials that can naturally decompose in a short period of time once discarded. Examples include cornstarch, mushroom packaging, and other plant-based materials.

2. Recycled Content: Opt for boxes, padding, and other packaging materials made from recycled content.

3. Minimalist Packaging: Reduce the material used by adopting a minimalist packaging design.

4. Reusable Packaging: Design packaging that the consumer can reuse. For instance, cloth bags, sturdy boxes, or containers that can serve secondary uses, promoting a longer lifecycle and reducing the need for new packaging materials.

5. Plantable Packaging: Some innovative companies use seed-infused packaging that can be planted in soil to grow herbs or flowers, turning the packaging waste into green life.

6. Water-Activated Tape: Replace plastic packing tapes with water-activated paper tape that is recyclable and made from sustainable materials. This tape is also typically stronger and provides better package security.

7. Refillable Systems: Consumers can refill the original container for products used repetitively, such as cosmetics or foods.

5.  Lifetime Warranty: A Commitment to Durability

A lifetime warranty highlights a commitment to durability, directly challenging the culture of disposable consumption. By ensuring products' longevity, brands can promote becoming greener and enhance consumer trust and satisfaction.

Lifetime warranties generally do not cover scuffs, stains, scratches, dents, and other forms of "wear and tear" that do not affect the bag's functionality.

Additionally, lifetime warranties may only apply to the original owner. Some companies do not cover bags purchased second-hand or from unauthorized retailers, while others will repair them for free, irrespective of whether they were purchased new or used.

6.  Life Cycle

Sustainable luggage brands and manufacturers are increasingly focusing on the end-of-life cycle of their products to ensure that each component is recyclable, repurposable, or reusable. This approach minimizes environmental impact and aligns with the rising consumer demand for responsible products.

7.  Travel Sentry x Swiss Climate 

Travel Sentry recently worked with a consulting firm, Swiss Climate, on a survey about climate change in our industry. This survey was to gain insights into how sustainable the travel goods industry is. The results show we are in the early stages of effective climate action strategies. This is especially true when compared to sectors such as insurance or finance.

Considering these findings, there are many options to help luggage brands step up their climate action:

• Receive support in calculating their carbon footprint.
• Share information with brands on less emission-intensive materials and suppliers who take environmental and climate criteria into account.
• Obtain information on current and future legislation and internationally recognized standards and certifications adapted to their industry.

We, as an industry, aim to make environmentally friendly choices by using ESG principles. This includes using recycled polycarbonate and following responsible supply chain practices. These actions allow us to adhere to the highest environmental, social, and governance standards, reducing our environmental impact and promoting fairness and accountability.

At Travel Sentry, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and promoting sustainable practices. This is why we have commissioned this survey and are supporting our licensees in joining CDP.