The £601m turnover group owns the JD Williams, Jacamo and Simply Be brands.

It has become the first major online retailer to adopt ‘Polymax powered by Hydropol’ packaging, which is being supplied by manufacturer Maxim Labels & Packaging.

The Hydropol environmental packaging technology was developed by UK-based Aquapak Polymers, which licenses it to a variety of partners.

Maxim Labels & Packaging global vice president for innovation and sustainability Tom Wielicki said he had been inspired to develop the product after looking at the dissolvable coatings used on dishwasher tablets and clothes wash liquid pods.

“Polymax powered by Hydropol is benign, that’s what makes it so unique,” he explained.

“It’s taken us two years to develop it, and we’re incredibly excited that N Brown Group will become the largest retailer in the UK to use it for their products.”

Polymax powered by Hydropol packaging can be recycled alongside paper, plastic, metal or food without contaminated the waste stream.  

It will biodegrade or dissolve if put into black bins or recycling bins and is described as “breaking down harmlessly to non-toxic biomass”.

“It can even by dissolved in hot water, leaving no harmful microplastics behind,” the two firms stated.

N Brown Group CEO Sarah Welsh said the business was excited to use the product.

“Reducing our impact on the environment while ensuring a high-quality product experience for our customers is something we take very seriously. Packaging has always been a key area of innovation for us as it makes up a significant proportion of the plastic that is used across our operations,” she said.

Welsh said it would allow the group to package clothes effectively without the use of conventional plastic, while also giving customers multiple easy and environmentally friendly disposal options.

“This new packaging is going to enable us to reduce our conventional plastic usage by 44%, without compromising on the quality of our packaging. We’re excited for customers to start receiving some own-brand products in this new packaging this Autumn, with the full rollout to 100% of own-brand products set to be complete by the end of 2025.”

Wielicki said he believed the product offered a solution to the burden of conventional single-use plastic in the fashion packaging sector. 

“We’re proud of the fact that it is fully recyclable, biodegradable and water soluble.

“We hope that other large retailers in the UK will follow N Brown in choosing a more sustainable future for their garment delivery.”

It's estimated that a whopping 25m tonnes of conventional plastic garment bags could be eliminated if there was a widespread switch by major users.

Maxim Group employs more than 3,000 people worldwide. It has 20 manufacturing sites and the group’s expertise spans RFID, heat transfer, variable data, and sustainable packaging.