FROM HIGHWAY TO BAG FACTORY: FIRST CIRCULAR TARPS FACE FREITAG ENDURANCE TEST

Together with industry partners, FREITAG is developing a circular truck tarp that can be recycled after completing its second life as a FREITAG bag and thus ends up back in the loop. In 2024, a fleet of six trucks set off for a long-term road test – now, the first tarps have returned to the FREITAG headquarters in Zurich-Oerlikon. There, they are being tested for their suitability as bag material: from the cutting table to the wearable prototype.

FREITAG thinks and acts in cycles. This corporate philosophy manifests itself time and again in the successful closing of cycles. The most recent example was the Mono[PA6] Backpack, the first recyclable FREITAG backpack made without truck tarp from a single material. But one question arises again and again: What will it take to ensure that the truck tarps used to make most of the iconic bags and accessories will one day be circular and no longer end up as waste?

The answer is as simple as it is challenging: FREITAG will develop a circular truck tarp. And it will do that with various industrial partners in the materials, chemicals and composite sectors, as well as manufacturers, logistics companies and institutions in the materials-testing sectors and recycling industry. They all share the same vision and see the potential of the circular economy, which is why they work collectively and financially independently of each other. FREITAG is a practice partner of the Circular Lab, an initiative of the Wissenschaftsverbund Vierländerregion Bodensee (Lake Constance Arts & Sciences Association) supported by the Swiss federal government and the EU.

The big road test
As early as fall 2022 – just over two years after the project launch and one year after material development began – the first tarp prototypes were sent out for a test run. In the summer of 2024, FREITAG, together with its production partners and the logistics company Planzer, reached another milestone: six trucks and five trailers were fitted with further developed, circular tarps. Two material combinations are on the road in the test fleet: tarps made from a polyester fabric (PES) coated with a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and mono-material tarps with both fabric and coating made of polypropylene (PP). More information on the two test fleets and material streams can be found in the press release from September 2024.

First road-tested tarps arrive at the FREITAG factory
To best document the effects of a hard life on the road on the tarps, the test samples are on the move for staggered periods. Some will continue to serve in logistics for months or even several years, while others have since returned to FREITAG.

At the bag manufacturer's factory in Zurich-Oerlikon, the road-tested tarp material is now being examined for its suitability for upcycled bags.

From circular Tarp to test bag
During the test phase, the upcycling process for the Circular Tarps at FREITAG involves five steps:

1. First, the Digital Product Passport of each tarp is scanned. It contains information on the material, manufacturer, and the duration of the test phase.
2. On the cutting table, the tarps are disassembled into machine-washable pieces.
3. Each tarp is washed. FREITAG uses rainwater collected from the factory roof.
4. Using knives and a laser cutter, the bag designers cut components for two classic FREITAG bag models from the Circular Tarps: F40 JAMIE and F41 HAWAII FIVE-0.
5. The cut pieces are sewn into the first one-of-a-kind bags – initially in the FREITAG prototyping atelier in Zurich, and later on a trial basis with sewing partners.

Endurance test in everyday life
Around 40 one-of-a-kind messenger bags have been completed and distributed to testers. They are now evaluating the tarp material in bag form for its everyday usability. The focus is on the material properties: How robust, flexible, and water-repellent are the bags really? How does the material behave under intensive use? From this, FREITAG also hopes to find answers as to whether one of the two materials is better suited for bags than the other. The test phase will extend over several months.

Recycling as the final step
The very last step on the path to circularity is recycling. Ultimately, after their second life as FREITAG bags, the innovative tarps are intended to become truck covers once again – over and over. Regarding the recyclability of the PES/TPU tarp, initial tests for the mechanical recycling process have recently begun with the materials specialist Covestro. The reprocessing of polypropylene, which the PP/PP tarp is made of, is already offered by various recycling companies. FREITAG is currently searching for a suitable partner.

Bio-Based Tarp and Other Material Approaches
In addition to the two tarp types undergoing endurance testing, promising progress is being made with another material approach: the bio-based tarp. It consists of a cellulose-based fabric with a biopolymer coating. Three players have joined forces for its development: MehlerHeytex, a brand of Freudenberg (formerly Heytex) and a specialist in technical textiles, produces the cellulose fabric. The plastics manufacturer Linotech supplies the granulate for the coating. The "formula" for the tarp was developed at the FILK Freiberg Institute GmbH. In the summer of 2025, the crucial step from the laboratory phase to production on an industrial-scale plant was taken. Provided the material quality meets the requirements, practical tests on the road are set to follow soon.

Furthermore, FREITAG is keeping an eye on two other material approaches in the market: mono-material tarps with fabric and coating made of PET or TPU, respectively. Various players are working on these two approaches, but no project is ready for testing yet.

Now out on the road: The first truck test fleet with circular tarps

Together with industry partners, FREITAG is developing a circular truck tarp that can be recycled after completing its second life as a FREITAG bag and thus ends up back in the loop. The first prototype has now completed its two-year test drive on a delivery van. At the same time, work continued apace on various material combinations. Both are bearing fruit: A fleet of trucks fitted with circular tarps recently has been undergoing an endurance test on the road.

FREITAG thinks and acts in cycles. This corporate philosophy manifests itself time and again in the successful closing of cycles. The most recent example was the Mono[PA6] Backpack, the first recyclable FREITAG backpack made without truck tarp from a single material. But one question arises again and again: What will it take to ensure that the truck tarps used to make most of the iconic bags and accessories will one day be circular and no longer end up as waste?

The answer is as simple as it is challenging: FREITAG will develop a circular truck tarp. And it will do that with various industrial partners in the materials, chemicals and composite sectors, as well as manufacturers, logistics companies and institutions in the materials-testing sectors and recycling industry. They all share the same vision and see the potential of the circular economy, which is why they work collectively and financially independently of each other. The search for the tarp of the future, which can one day be broken down into its basic constituents and recycled, was officially launched in fall 2021. Just one year later, the first prototypes were mounted on a delivery van and sent out on a two-year test drive. These pioneering tarps recently completed their maiden voyage, returned to FREITAG and are now providing valuable insights into the properties of the material and its recyclability.

First truck test fleet on the road
Meanwhile, the search for the perfect material continued in the background, and the work is bearing fruit: two sub-projects are now ready for the endurance test. And that’s why the circular tarps are now traveling around in convoys. In Planzer, a Swiss logistics company, FREITAG has found a partner in the road freight industry that fitted out six of its trucks and five trailers with two different test tarps. These will be on the road for varying lengths of time. By staggering the test periods, the material’s aging process can be tracked more precisely under everyday conditions. Thanks to the large amount of material involved, it will soon be possible to test downstream bag production steps, such as washing, cutting, and sewing at FREITAG, as well as the necessary approaches to recycling. Bieri Tenta AG, who are responsible for printing using the stencil printing process and equipping the tarps, invested many hours in extensive material tests to ensure they could be processed and carry signage. The made-to-measure tarp company drew on its extensive supplier network to realize the test fleet. Certain PES/TPU-compatible accessories were unavailable, so Bieri simply produced the necessary pasts themselves. For the lettering, the company opted for a highly flexible stencil printing ink and successfully overcame the challenge posed by the ink’s long drying time.

Material streams: two solutions already well advanced
Like its conventional predecessors, the new circular tarp will have a rugged base fabric and a soft, water- and dirt-repellent coating. Since the project kicked off in 2021, several possible material combinations have emerged that have been the focus of research by the various partners. Two highly advanced approaches are currently being put through their paces on the test fleet: PES/TPU and PP/PP.

• PES/TPU: ADVANCED AND TESTED
  The printed tarps attached to the sides of the test vehicles were manufactured by Heytex, a German-based company, from a polyester (PES) fabric coated with a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) developed by materials specialists Covestro. The properties of this material combination have been vastly improved. The PES/TPU tarp has not only passed the EPEA* material health test, but already meets ISO side-curtain standards for 40-tonne trucks. Further development of the material has also improved its printability, handling characteristics and suitability for additional processing, all critical issues for the road freight industry and FREITAG. FREITAG is currently evaluating recycling processes for TPU/PES tarps with Covestro and Swiss recycling company DePoly SA.
• PP/PP: A LOW-PRICE MONO-MATERIAL
  The base fabric and outer coating of the tarps used for the roofs of the trucks and trailers is made of polypropylene (PP). This approach is convincing at several levels The PP/PP tarp is called Rivercyclon. It is a mono-material that is recyclable without the need for complex material separation and it is cost-effective. Initially, the material’s printability posed a challenge, but in the meantime the first successful digital prints have been completed together with tests with silkscreen and stencil prints. Dutch tarp manufacturer Rivertex is in charge of this approach, which holds an EPEA Circularity Passport® testifying to its high material health and recyclability.
• OTHER APPROACHES
  The main focus is currently on the two approaches mentioned, but work also continues on other solutions, and FREITAG is closely following developments on the market. Some players, for instance, focus on mono-material tarps made of PET/PET or TPU/TPU. FREITAG is also keeping a close eye on a promising research project involving several participants working on the development of a bio-based tarp. However, none of these approaches is yet mature enough for testing.

Marketability and success factors
It is not yet clear which of the various material combinations will result in commercially viable, circular truck tarps in the future. Apart from the enormous demands placed on the tarp regarding quality and circularity, marketability will play a decisive role in the project’s success. At a large round table meeting, FREITAG drafted various possible business models together with all the partners involved, but a precisely defined business case is still a long way off. The aim is to build a coherent and dynamic network that enables us to keep products and materials of the highest possible quality in circulation. Demonstrating the tarps’ circularity will be a crucial factor in making them successful, as will the information flow.

Transparency thanks to Circularity Passport® and the Digital Product Passport
To prove that products fulfill circularity criteria, EPEA is developing the so-called Circularity Passport® Product (CPP). Taking this as its guideline, the organization checks and evaluates the entire system behind a circular product, all the materials used and their recyclability, and provides an overall assessment of the degree of circularity. But to guarantee product’s circularity, it must be proven and as much relevant information as possible provided. Only this way a reverse logistics network can be created, aimed at regenerating value from tarps at the end of their life, transforming them into highly desirable one-of-a-kind bags.

The introduction of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) for truck tarps with a comprehensive data protocol developed and implemented by FREITAG and Bieri therefore represents a significant innovation. This contains all relevant information and thus ensures greater transparency with regard to material composition, production and origin. On the other hand, the aim is to simplify processes along the value chain thanks to information about the manufacturer and tarp specialist, the tarp’s age, and the recycling stream into which the material will one day be fed. The digital product passport attached to the inside of the tarps in the form of prints, while an RFID chip and QR code will provide virtual information about the tarp. The test fleet is already equipped with this system: the RFID-enabled software solution SKPident accompanies production and enables tracking throughout the entire lifecycle of the circular tarpaulins.

*EPEA - Part of Drees & Sommer evaluates materials using the Cradle to Cradle® approach and focuses on all-around material health for humans and the environment, technical recyclability and the implementation of a take-back system.