Tyvek® Wristbands & The Environment

Tyvek really is the number one functional material for wristbands. What do we know about their relationship with the environment, and their ability to be recycled?

You might have seen our wristbands and thought they were made of paper. They certainly appear to look like paper wristbands, even more so that you can print things on them, customise them, and add pretty much any design you like – they even feel like paper.

Not quite like paper though. Tyvek is more lightweight and durable than paper – it’s also breathable yet resistant to water and tearing.

Tyvek really is the wonder material for wristbands. But is Tyvek an environmentally sustainable alternative to plastic? How much do we know about this?

Dupont’s Manufacturing Methods & Sustainability

Before we look at if Tyvek wristbands are safe for the environment, let’s explore how it is created.

Dupont, the Tyvek manufacturer, is continually striving forward with its sustainability strategy. In doing so, Dupont has identified a guiding set of principles to drive its future actions. Whilst Tyvek might look like paper, it is a 100% synthetic material made from high-density spun bound polyethylene fibres, and HDPE.

We can tell you with confidence that the best thing about it is that Tyvek is 100% recyclable.

To explain things more simply, the Tyvek used to make your wristbands is made without plasticisers or restricted chemicals. It’s also manufactured by consuming less energy and resources. Dupont is also striving to reduce waste material at the end of a product’s lifecycle.

Read more about the sustainability practices Dupont operates with here.

Our thoughts on sustainability

When creating The Wristband Co. it was essential we sourced and used sustainable materials whenever possible – our problem was that we didn’t want to compromise on our wristbands’ quality.

Luckily, Dupont and their Tyvek tick both of these boxes.

‘(We) design 100% of our products and processes using sustainability criteria, including the principles of green chemistry.’ – DuPont®’s thoughts on sustainability

Duponts’ mission is to regularly collaborate with industry innovators to develop and champion safer and more sustainable practices. With a natural alignment with the mission of our own business, the relationship was born.

See our sustainable wristbands here

But why? The bigger picture

Dupont’s current focus is Tyveks’ interesting role in the circular economy. A circular economy, one moving away from the disposable nature of generating materials, encourages us to keep repurposing and recycling them.

The Linear Economy

The Circular Economy 

In a similar fashion, it’s our mission to find ways to transform your Tyvek wristbands into a range of new materials.

Read more on how you can repurpose your wristbands from us here.

What if you can’t recycle your wristbands?

Unfortunately, many wristband providers in the market have designed the products you buy to simply be used and thrown away, possibly into landfill.

Tsk tsk.

If our wristbands end up in landfill, there’s good news. Tyvek as an HPDE will not leach harmful compounds into groundwater as it is an inert material.

See our sustainable wristbands here

Tyvek wristbands can also be incinerated safely.

Under optimal conditions, only water and carbon dioxide are released, leaving no residue. Tyvek can even be used as fuel, yielding more than twice the energy value of coal and as much energy as oil in terms of British Thermal Unit (BTU) rating.

Keep reading

You can learn more about sustainability and our company here.

To learn more about Dupont’s commitment to sustainability, download its sustainability report here.

Learn more about Tyvek as material here.

We are still on our sustainable journey, and we know there is a long way to go, meaning we are always open to suggestions from our team, our customers and our community. So if you have any ideas on improving our operations or would like to share your journey with us, get in touch today; we’d love to hear from you!