THE FREITAG MONO[PA6] BACKPACK
Thinking and acting in cycles is integral to FREITAG’s DNA. Our vision is clear: we aim to design bags and accessories that are not simply made from used materials but are also circular.
Actually, we have already achieved this with the development of the F-ABRIC compostable clothing line and the circular smartphone CIRC-CASE. After three years of development, we are now presenting our next innovation: the circular Mono[PA6] Backpack. A functional, durable, and water-repellent everyday companion, made from a single material and fully recyclable.
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THE CIRCULAR 2-IN-1 BACKPACK
Lightweight, water-repellent, with variable capacity, it features a detachable musette that allows it to be carried in several ways.
Easily recyclable – thanks to its mono-materiality
To ensure that the Mono[PA6] Backpack can be recycled as a whole, it is made from a single material: polyamide 6, PA6 for short, better known as nylon. This mono-materiality is complex: in all, we needed 17 components made of PA6, from sturdy zippers and a water-repellent primary material to carrying straps, cords and buckles.
Water-repellent and circular: a material innovation
The Mono[PA6] Backpack has the high-quality features you expect from FREITAG: it’s robust, durable, and water-repellent. The search for an existing water-repellent fabric made from a single material was unsuccessful because such textiles have traditionally required an additional coating or membrane made from other materials. But because mono-materiality was our primary requirement, this was out of the question. Together with a partner, we therefore developed a new type of water-repellent fabric that is also a mono-material.
Backpack and crossbody bag in one
The Mono[PA6] Backpack is a lightweight, versatile, everyday companion that meets the myriad different needs of everyday urban life. The musette – a small, detachable bag – forms the multifunctional two-in-one centerpiece: it can be worn as a practical crossbody bag or serves as an additional outer pocket when attached to the backpack.
Circularity is a shared responsibility
Only when we actually feed a product back into the cycle can it be said to be truly circular. The circularity principle only really works if you use your Mono[PA6] Backpack for a long time, give it lots of tender loving care, and finally return it to FREITAG. This way, it has as long and fulfilling an existence as possible and can be reused to make new stuff.
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THE WAY TO THE FIRST RECYCLABLE BACKPACK
FREITAG thinks and acts in cycles. Something that began with messenger bags made from truck tarps now embraces a wide range of recycled and upcycled products. By closing our cycles, we aim to continue developing our range sustainably. The first recyclable FREITAG backpack is a milestone on the road to the circular economy.
CIRCULAR DESIGN AS A SOLUTION
The Mono[PA6] Backpack is made from a single material, polyamide 6. Thanks to this mono-materiality, it can be recycled as a whole and fed back into the cycle.
CLOSING THE CIRCLE
We have already successfully tested the recyclability of our first circular backpack in a recycling plant belonging to one of our partners. One day, it will be possible to turn discarded Mono[PA6] Backpacks into PA6 granulate, which can then be reused to make new things.
BE PART OF THE CYCLE
Circularity is therefore a theoretical reality. But getting the concept to work in practice also means involving bag owners. Only if they use their circular bags for as long as possible, take good care of them, repair them, and then return them to FREITAG through the take-back service at the end of their useful life can the cycle actually be closed.
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THE FREITAG MONO[PA6] CYCLES
The idea behind our circular backpack is simple: it consists of a single material and can, therefore, be recycled as a whole. So, after a long life, it doesn’t end up in the garbage but returns to the material cycle.
However, the circularity principle can only work if you do your bit: And that means using your Mono[PA6] Backpack as long as possible, looking after it and having it repaired, and then, when its time has come, bringing it back to FREITAG.
From Zurich, the discarded backpacks are then sent to a recycling partner, where they are shredded as a whole and mechanically processed into PA6 granulate. The material can then be used to make new items, such as backpack components.
Seventeen components. One material.
All Mono[PA6] Backpack components are made of PA6. However, restricting production to a single material is more complex than it might sound.
A total of 17 components made of PA6 had to be found, each with their own specific requirements regarding texture and properties: from a water-repellent primary material and sturdy zippers through to the carrying straps, the sewing thread, and a comfortable back padding.
Collaborating for innovation
We firmly believe that the transition to a circular economy can only be achieved through a collaborative effort. That's why we teamed up with a Taiwanese partner in the textile industry to jointly develop the innovative water-repellent outer material of the Mono[PA6] Backpack.
FREITAG also pursued a co-creative approach to product design by teaming up with British designer Jeffrey Siu to create the Mono[PA6] Backpack. His design references the bike culture to which FREITAG is so closely affiliated and reinterprets it.
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AT ALL FREITAG STORES
The Mono[PA6] Backpack is available at all FREITAG stores and from selected partners.
FREITAG SERVICES
We want your Mono[PA6] Backpack to be part of your life for as long as possible. That’s why we designed it to be easily repaired. Your nearest FREITAG store will be happy to provide you with a whole bunch of life-prolonging measures.
But what happens when the Mono[PA6] Backpack finally reaches the end of its life? We take back discarded Mono[PA6] backpacks, collect them, and recycle them as a whole. Which means your old companion can be transformed into something new.
Circular Services
BAG REPAIR
For almost as long as FREITAG bags have been around, we’ve also been repairing them. Because it not only makes them functional again. It’s also more sustainable.
Circular Services
TAKE-BACK-SERVICE
The FREITAG Take-Back-Service guarantees that circular products really do go back into the cycle.
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