Paper? Reusable? Unpackaged? The Goldeimer team has spent a long time hunting for a sustainable packaging solution for its toilet paper. An alternative to conventional plastic is urgently needed, as growing amounts are ending up in the environment, especially in countries without adequate waste disposal systems. Chris Sigmund, co-founder and CEO of WILDPLASTIC®, believes it is high time something changed. His company’s mission is to recover “wild plastic” from nature and bring it back into the circular economy.
Okay, but what connects the two companies? A lot! While Goldeimer supports sanitary projects, public information and education work through its toilet paper sales, WILDPLASTIC® is busy working on a solution to the plastic crisis. Both are committed to protecting nature and improving living and working conditions. You could say that Goldeimer and WILDPLASTIC® are on a journey together and have packed their bags with shared values and goals. Their aim? To package Goldeimer’s toilet paper in wild plastic. What could possibly go wrong?
Chris, how did the cooperation between you and Goldeimer come about?
It’s a funny story, actually. Malte Schremmer from Goldeimer and I met at a trade fair four years ago. You know how it is sometimes – two people meet and immediately begin sparking crazy ideas off one another: How about packaging our toilet paper in your bags? Malte knew from previous experience that they faced a long and rocky road ahead; he and his team had already invented about 300 other toilet paper packaging ideas.
Sounds like quite a challenge. What obstacles did you encounter along the way?
As well as persuading Goldeimer, we also had to convince the packaging manufacturers and the production partner. Imagine your process is up and running and then someone comes along and says, “Hey, we want to try something different. Are you up for it?” Happily, we found like-minded people in both companies who are keenly aware of the severity of the plastic problem. To add to the stress, outer packaging for hygiene products is the most challenging of all plastic wrapper types. It’s like a local football club suddenly finding itself in the Champions League final. But we were determined to prove that it was possible!
You spent four years refining the new packaging. That’s a long time. What kept you going?
I think it was the good interpersonal fit between us. If you are going to a party with friends, you don’t mind standing in line for two hours – because you have the right people with you. At the same time, I always look at the bigger picture and our vision of the circular, sustainable use of plastics. A recent report found that recycling rates have actually fallen over the past year, rather than improving. This is partly because we produce so much primary plastic. It’s time we faced up to the problem.
And now you’ve actually gone and done it. The toilet paper packaging is made from 50% WILDPLASTIC®, making it the first “wild plastic” on our supermarket shelves. Would you describe your cooperation with Goldeimer as a blueprint for the future?
Most definitely! Our plan was to start with a dream partnership and prove that it is not just possible, but also enjoyable. Ultimately, we want to spread the word and inspire the entire industry to embark on a journey of change.
What role did Hamburg play as your choice of city?
I can’t think of any other place that offers better framework conditions. Hamburg already has a strong ecosystem to support networks like the one between us and Goldeimer. If not here, then where?
Where do you see potential for improvement?
For the future, I would love to see more partnerships between social innovators and the powerful business sector in Hamburg. What we have done with Goldeimer, Bischof + Klein [the packaging company] and WEPA [the manufacturer] could be applied to a multitude of scenarios. I wonder which other Hamburg businesses could become even more effective by collaborating with WILDPLASTIC®? Who else is still manufacturing garbage bags not from wild plastic? Who persists in making shipping bags from primary plastic? I think there is still a lot of work to do in Hamburg. That’s why we are keen to build strong partnerships and alliances, so that we can do what is right and not just what is necessary.
And how is your cooperation with Goldeimer going now? What are the next steps?
Now that we have packaged the first batch of Goldeimer toilet paper in wild plastic, our next step is to demonstrate stability and prove we can keep this going indefinitely. We also need to determine the maximum proportion of wild plastic in packaging that is technically feasible. As soon as all Goldeimer packaging is based on WILDPLASTIC®, we will look to the future and consider our next move.
Thank you for chatting to us, Chris. What else would you like to share with the community?
One final thought – I was at a conference and there was a discussion with Luisa Neubauer about our dependency on fossil fuels. In this conversation, she said that change is not just for companies but is the responsibility of each and every individual. Ultimately, this dependency is fuelled by our fossil dreams, by which I mean the holidays, cars and houses that we believe make a good life. So the question we need to ask ourselves for the future is, what will be our new dreams? There’s no reason why these new dreams should be inferior to or less fun than our current dreams. We’ve proven that it is perfectly possible to dream a new dream.
