UK online retailer N Brown, owner of the JD Williams, Jacamo, and Simply Be brands, has revealed plans to introduce dissolvable packaging as it aims to reduce plastic waste. 

Starting this month, the company’s own-label products will feature dissolvable Polymax powered by Hydropol packaging. 

This packaging solution addresses the UK's recycling contamination challenges caused by conventional plastic film wrapping. 

In the UK, one in five mistakenly attempt to recycle plastic film in nonaccepting facilities, leading to only 9% of flexible plastics being recycled properly.  

The new Polymax packaging can be disposed of in regular bins or recycled without risk of contamination, offering a solution to this 'wishcycling' issue and potentially reducing customer anxiety over correct disposal practices. 

The environmentally friendly packaging not only dissolves in hot water without leaving harmful microplastics but also biodegrades safely if placed in black bins.  

This represents a more sustainable disposal option for consumers and aligns with N Brown's commitment to reducing its environmental footprint. 

With the adoption of Polymax packaging, N Brown anticipates a significant reduction in its conventional plastic usage by almost 44% across all own-brand products.  

The global potential of this packaging innovation is substantial, according to the company, with the possibility of preventing approximately 25 million tonnes of hard-to-recycle packaging from entering the environment annually. 

N Brown Group Retail CEO Sarah Welsh said: “Reducing our impact on the environment while ensuring a high-quality product experience for our customers is something we take very seriously. Packaging has always been a key area of innovation for us as it makes up a significant proportion of the plastic that is used across our operations. 

“Polymax powered by Hydropol is a really exciting product that offers us the ability to package our clothes effectively without the use of conventional plastic and provides our customers with multiple easy and environmentally friendly disposal options. 

“We’re excited for customers to start receiving some own-brand products in this new packaging this autumn [late 2024], with the full rollout to 100% of own-brand products set to be complete by the end of 2025.”