NEW / Timber Wrap Now Made with Ocean Bound Plastic

Replacing our previous woven wrap made entirely from virgin plastic, our new LDPE 4 soft plastic timber wrap is 50% derived from Ocean Bound Plastic.

By making this switch to a recycled material, we hope to both generate less waste and make use of a problematic material by physically reducing the plastic waste entering our waterways.

What is Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP)?

Plastic production has increased by more than 200 times since 1950, resulting in an exponential increase in waste.  Some members of the scientific community are even predicting that, by 2050, we will have more plastic in our oceans than fish.   

Ocean Bound Plastic is a term used to describe plastic waste materials that are either found in the ocean, or are at risk of entering the ocean. This can include bottles, bags, packaging materials and debris, which are carried by waterways, tides and winds to coastal areas.

Worryingly, these plastics can take up to 400 years to break down – and once in the sea, they cause harm to marine life and disrupt ecosystems, ultimately also impacting human health. 

With up to 12.7 million metric tonnes of plastic waste entering our oceans annually, the negative implications of plastic waste in our waterways are significant and varied.  Larger waste materials create a risk of entanglement and habitat destruction and can act as rafts that transport invasive species to new habitats and disrupt local ecosystems and biodiversity.

As these larger waste plastics slowly break down into microplastics, they can accumulate toxic pollutants that are ingested by marine organisms.  These toxins are then passed up the food chain to other marine life and, ultimately, humans, causing both our health and our coastal communities and industries to suffer.

How we can do better

While it is important our timbers are well protected during transit and on building sites, we knew we could do better than our previous wrap. And while the new wrap is a large format soft plastic (LDPE 4) that can be recycled by some specialised services, we are aware these services can be difficult to access.

When it can’t be recycled, we recommend the wrap is reused as much as possible, to cover materials on building sites or as drop cloth when completing painting and staining jobs, for example.

We are always looking to improve our processes and while our 50% recycled plastic wrap may not be a perfect solution, we will continue to investigate recycling programmes and alternative material sources – including using natural fibres such as wool. Watch this space!

Learn more about how Abodo is taking action to create a better tomorrow.