WILDPLASTIC®

The story of WILDPLASTIC® began with seven very different people who were united by one thing: awareness of our global plastic problem and its urgency. While traveling in different parts of the world, they all noticed the same problem - on beaches, forests, illegal dumps - plastic was everywhere. Back home in Hamburg, Germany, they were all united by the thirst for action. Others joined, and in 2019 WILDPLASTIC® was born. The idea - to produce a garbage bag made of wild plastic that was reclaimed from the environment.

Fast forward, today WILDPLASTIC® is a successful social enterprise that has established the world's first supply chain for wild film plastic (LDPE), focusing on sustainability and eye-to-eye partnerships with local organizations. 

The Process

The wild plastic is collected by hand in countries without sufficient waste management systems. They partner closely with local collectors' organizations, currently operating in India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Senegal. To build sustainable partnerships, WILDPLASTIC® finds it important to get to know their partner countries and organizations personally. Their team makes on-site visits and monitors the process. To ensure all collectors have good working conditions, partners must sign and follow cooperation requirements.

After the collection, the plastic is sorted by hand and then washed and shredded. The material is then granulated and processed into other products such as WILDBAGS or WILDmailingbags.

Through the company’s WILDtracker and a tracking code on each product, clients can check where the plastic comes from and how it has been processed.

WILDPLASTIC®’s products save up to 60% CO₂ compared to products made from virgin plastic, improve the working conditions of waste collectors, and remove plastic from the environment. The team has created a Life Cycle Assessment together with scientists to ensure the impact of their products.  

The partnership with OTTO

With an assortment of more than 14,5 million articles and more than 11,3 million customers in 2022, OTTO is the largest German online shop. Every second washing machine and every third TV ordered online, come from OTTO. 

In 2019, the company came across WILDPLASTIC® while looking for innovative partners to help develop sustainable packaging solutions. The collaboration with WILDPLASTIC® was initiated through OTTO’s Sustainability team in close partnership with other company departments. The goal was to create a sustainable product that also has a great appearance and can be easily scaled.

In mid-2020, a pilot initiative was launched in which 10,000 mailing bags were produced, followed by a market study with customer feedback. The successful pilot led to the official start of the partnership and the launch of the  OTTOBAG, the first mailing bag made of 80% WILDPLASTIC®. 

To date, OTTO is using 100% of WILDPLASTIC® mailing bags for OTTO products. which recovers WILDPLASTIC from the environment, ensures better working conditions for waste collectors, and saves up to 60% CO₂ emissions.

The learnings

Both companies highlight the importance of honest and open communication as one of the keys to a successful partnership. Additionally, patience is crucial, as developing and scaling a product together takes time, and large companies and startups often operate at different speeds. On the practical side, it is essential to have regular exchanges and conduct regular customer surveys to solve challenges quickly and agilely.

“To achieve innovation and impact at scale, large corporations like OTTO and innovative partners like WILDPLASTIC need to form a strategic partnership with a long term commitment. We help WILDPLASTIC to scale, WILDPLASTIC infuses us with innovation!”

- Karla Jabben, Sustainability Managerin Otto GmbH & Co KG 

"If we want to achieve real change we need big partners like OTTO who believe in our mission. Together we can recover more WILDPLASTIC® and create an example for other companies that the change we want to see in the plastic economy is possible if we collaborate and find innovative solutions."

- Christian Sigmund, CEO WILDPLASTIC®

The Impact 

272.220 kg WILDPLASTIC recovered and used for the OTTOBAGS

648.337 kg CO2 emissions saved 

5940 days with better working conditions for waste collectors