Global Launch of Archwey, the Sustainable Materials Engineering Group Pledging to Rid the World of Virgin Plastic

• The holding group of three companies, Archwey re-engineers plastic waste into products for the fashion, retail, hospitality and healthcare industries.
• Archwey has made its GRS-certified plastic solution BLUEWAVE® globally available via its company PlasticBean, supplying recycled-plastic pellets for manufacturing.
• Through cross-industry initiatives, Archwey will lead the global push towards the total elimination of virgin plastic.   

SINGAPORE, July 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Today marks the launch of Archwey, the holding group of three companies that are changing the game when it comes to innovative means of reusing and reducing plastic waste: Arch & Hook, Shieldler, and PlasticBean.

Archwey’s mission is to rid the world of virgin plastic full-stop, reshaping the world’s building blocks. It will achieve this through its GRS-certified^[1] plastic solution BLUEWAVE®: a thermoplastic material made from 100% recycled ocean-bound plastic, marine plastic and post-consumer plastic, collected predominantly from four of the most polluted rivers on earth.

Archwey’s three companies utilise BLUEWAVE® to supply groundbreaking sustainable solutions for the manufacturing, display and transportation of products in fashion, retail, hospitality and healthcare.

Eight-million pieces of plastic pollution are estimated to find their way into oceans every day^[2]; producing just one tonne of plastic generates up to 2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide^[3]; and globally, only 9% of the nine-billion tonnes of plastic produced since 1950 has been recycled^[4]. In the last 18 months, Archwey recycled and cleaned 32,500 tonnes of plastic, creating innovative materials and beautiful new products from waste.

Archwey’s objectives include:

• Ensuring all subsidiary companies become B Corp-certified within the next two years.
• Doubling the amount of plastic waste it recycles and cleans from 32,500 to 65,000 tonnes by the end of 2023.
• Contributing to global decarbonisation by growing the group’s use of green energy and decreasing the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of its BLUEWAVE®-made products by 20% by the end of 2023.
• Investing in, and collaborating on, research into microplastics and the effect on biodiversity.

Archwey Chief Executive Officer Sjoerd Fauser said: “The raw materials that industries need already exist. By utilising and supporting smart engineering solutions and bringing to market sustainable products for industry, the creation of new plastic is completely unnecessary. We are here to show the world that recycling is the key to decarbonisation, and have advanced the way materials are being reused. We are committed to creating a world without single-use plastic, and a more sustainable planet for future generations.”

Archwey’s three companies leading the way on sustainable materials 

Arch & Hook is a sustainable materials engineering company and the world’s leading sustainable clothes-hanger brand. Creating solutions for fashion and retail, A&H focuses on GNFR (Goods Not For Resale), including shop infrastructure and transport boxes, and boasts partnerships with major players in the fashion industry, such as Roland Mouret, Levi’s, Under Armour, and Selfridges.

Shieldler re-engineers materials to make healthcare sustainable, providing recycled and recyclable alternatives to environmentally-damaging product models, such as pill bottles, supplement packaging and organisers, blister packs, first aid kits and more.

PlasticBean creates recycled-plastic pellets for manufacturing. It is Archwey’s means of making its materials globally available, to create a better future for industry and the planet. Any manufacturer can utilise the pellets for its own means, helping to stop the creation of new virgin plastic altogether.

Driving global education, research, knowledge sharing and product engineering

Archwey will drive education, research, knowledge sharing, and product engineering in its quest to eliminate virgin plastic. Shieldler has set up a unique knowledge hub, called ‘Shieldler Innovation’, in collaboration with the University of Eindhoven and Leiden University. A consortium of scientists, recyclers, manufacturers, end users, and authorities, it will focus on harnessing sustainable material innovation and waste recycling.

A&H’s collaboration with TNO to investigate the life-cycle assessment (LCA) of thermoplastic hangers is one of the first of its kind, while a recent partnership with WIRED established the groundwork for consumer-focused impact reports. Future affiliations with institutions, universities and charities are underway and forthcoming with Archwey planning to establish its own global R&D innovation centres.

Based in Singapore – primed to become one of the most sustainable cities in the world – Archwey will leverage the city-state’s supporting ecosystem of a future-thinking workforce, world-leading institutions and multinational corporations to explore more groundbreaking solutions to plastic waste.

On choosing to base the hub of its operations in Singapore, Archwey Chief Executive Officer Sjoerd Fauser concludes: “Beyond its excellent commercial infrastructure, Singapore’s global push towards a sustainable environment was a compelling factor in our decision to relocate our headquarters here. Singapore’s Green Plan 2030, and its Zero Waste Masterplan, resonate and converge with Archwey’s own vision of the elimination of single-use plastic, its climate ambitions reflecting our resolve for concrete and urgent action to be taken to address climate change.”