GOT BAG GmbH

Who collects the Ocean Impact Plastic?

We started our clean-up programme in Demak on the north coast of Java. This Indonesian region lies at the mouth of several rivers which, in addition to the plastic carried by wind and rain from the land into the sea, carry large quantities of plastic waste from the interior of the country into the sea. We are now also collecting in the regions of Jepara in the north and Bantul on the south coast. The clean-up programme includes fishermen, collectors and partner organisations that collect plastic from the sea, mangrove regions and coastal areas, such as delta regions with rivers and waterways. Villagers who do not otherwise have access to a functioning waste management system can also hand in their household plastic waste at our collection points. With the help of these 19 collecting communities, over 900 tonnes of Ocean Impact Plastic have already been collected. At our foundation Yayasan GOT BAG Indonesia, local participants collect plastic waste and are paid according to the amount collected. Seven permanent employees take care of the administrative and operational project management on site.

Why do we sort the Ocean Impact Plastic before further processing?

There are many different types of plastic. In order to create real impact in our clean-up programme, we don't just collect the easily recyclable parts (e.g. PET bottles). The collected material mix must therefore first be sorted by type of plastic. We bring all recyclable types of plastic (e.g. PET, PP, HDPE, LDPE) to our warehouse in Jepara. There, 12 workers manually sort the material according to plastic type and colour and remove labels and lids. Around 15% of the Ocean Impact Plastic collected during the clean-up programme consists of PET, which we recycle through our partner in order to use it for our production.

What happens to the remaining plastic waste?

For some types of plastic that we cannot recycle ourselves for products, such as PP, HDPE, LDPE, PS and PC, we are constantly expanding our network of local companies that can recycle them mechanically. They are processed into so-called secondary raw materials before they can be used for other, new products. Other types cannot be processed at all, not with sufficient quality or only with disproportionate effort. We currently pass them on for thermal utilisation, where they are burned as an alternative to fossil fuels to produce energy. Third-party companies can support this form of recycling by purchasing certificates to offset their plastic consumption from our partner Cleanhub. We reinvest the proceeds in the infrastructure of the clean-up programme.

How is the Ocean Impact Plastic recycled?

After sorting, the raw materials are pressed by two other employees using a pressing machine in our warehouse. The PET material is then transported to our recycling partner in Surabaya. Here, the material is shredded, washed and extruded into rPET pellets. To cover our demand for rPET for the yarn production of our products, we source additional Ocean Bound Plastic from certified partners in the region.

How are the pellets turned into yarn?

We process the pellets into 300 denier yarns in a spinning mill. Denier is expressed in grams per 9,000 metres - in our case, this means that a 9,000 metre long thread weighs 300 grams. These yarns are then stretched so far that they are strong enough for later weaving and no longer tear. For black fabrics, we dye the yarn during spinning - this dyeing process does not require any water or solvents. It is also an advantage that the spun-dyed yarn has an extremely high colour fastness.

How is the yarn processed into the robust GOT BAG fabric?

We have the yarns from Ocean Impact Plastic woven into a particularly robust 600D or a lighter 300D fabric at a weaving mill in Shanghai, China. For this purpose, the best yarn qualities (AA) are selected for the warp (base frame), as this is where the requirements for tear resistance are highest for dense weaving. All black products are usually yarn-dyed (spun-dyed). This means that black colour pigments are added to the yarn during spinning. There is no need for the usual wet dyeing process. For all non-black products, we dye the textile directly after weaving with disperse dyes in a nearby dye works. We exclude dyes and additives that are on a negative list (e.g. from Ökotex, Bluesign, ZDHC). After dyeing, the fabrics that are later to be waterproofed are coated with an approx. 0.15 mm thin TPU layer on the reverse side, which will later be the inside. A very thin, permanently water-repellent PU finish is applied to the outside. Finally, the fabric is cut to size and high-frequency welded in special machines. All fabrics for sewn products only have a thin waterproof PU layer on the back and a PFC-free DWR finish on the outside.

How is the fabric turned into a finished product?

Our products are either high-frequency welded or sewn. For high-frequency welding, the materials are cut to size beforehand and then welded in the high-frequency machines using moulds specially made for the products. The TPU material is melted at the weld seams - and only there - with an alternating electromagnetic field of approx. 27 MHz and joined by pressure from a press. The seams are then 100% waterproof and very strong. We use fabrics without a TPU coating for the sewn products. The cut fabric parts are sewn and interlocked using special sewing machines for rucksacks. We now manufacture sewn products exclusively in Vietnam in the Ho Chi Minh City region. Our products are not made exclusively from our Ocean Impact Plastic fabric - there are also additional product-specific accessories such as buckles, zips, straps, foams and woven tapes. Where possible, these components are made from recycled materials, although some of them are not yet available on the market. We show the product composition of our products as a percentage by weight. In order to become more transparent, we have started to list all individual product components and their material composition for our newer products.

In the final step, the goods are shipped and transported on land by lorry.