Plastic Free Packaging
An example of the plastics Lynx used in the past

British-based Lynx Golf is set to become the first golf equipment company to move to plastic free packaging for its clubs, bags and accessories

British-based Lynx Golf is set to become the first golf equipment company to move to plastic free packaging for its clubs, bags and accessories.

The Surrey company currently exports its equipment around the world, and has set itself a bold target of removing single-use plastics from its supply chain by August 1st.

The environmentally friendly initiative will set Lynx back over £30,000 this year, with the money spent on alternatives for single-use plastics and to increase plastic recycling resources in the business.

Lynx Golf CFO Stephanie Zinser told GM: “Among our staff, we have over 42 children and a few grandchildren. We want them to have a world in which they can live safely, healthily and happily. There is no doubt that Sir David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet’ TV series really made the world sit up and think long and hard about our use of plastics and the damage they are having on the environment.

“The golf equipment business is not unique. Although its use of single-use plastics might not be as obvious as in other industries, they appear all along the supply chain. At Lynx Golf we are determined to remove them.”

To achieve its plastic free packaging goal, Lynx has made several key changes, including using paper rather than polyethylene to wrap and protect its golf bags, It will also replace the plastic bubble wrap used to help golf bags keep their shape with recycled paper wadding and replace its plastic parcel tape with reinforced gummed paper tape.

Lynx Golf will also stop cellophane shrink-wrapping all of its clubheads. Zinser added: “When trying to replace the shrink-wrap we use on our clubheads, we had sourced an alternative material which is made purely from cellulose, and which is completely biodegradable into harmless elements. However, in its current form it’s not quite there. We will keep working on the best alternatives, but we’d rather have nothing than something that is either not really biodegradable, or that is, but doesn’t quite look good enough. We are therefore using other – greener – methods to hold the golf clubheads in place during transit and shipping, and this comes at additional cost to the business.”

Jake O'Reilly specilaises in equipment coverage, and joined the Golf Monthly team in 2013. Before this he graduated from the University of Huddersfield with a Sports Journalism and Media degree, and worked at a number of British golf magazines. Follow Jake on Twitter @jake0reilly