Sydney, Australia – 31 August 2025: At the crack of dawn, thousands of entrants at the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS packed their gear bags with essentials for the finish line. The routine may have been familiar, but this year’s gear bags were anything but ordinary. For the first time, they were made from POLLAST!C® – a groundbreaking material created from recycled Ocean-Bound Plastic pollution.
Meeting the Marathon’s Demands
When the marathon organisers partnered with Better Packaging Co., they needed more than just a bag. The event required a solution that was:
-
Transparent, so contents could be quickly and safely checked
-
Durable and reusable, designed to open and close multiple times
-
Functional, with a clear window to display each entrant’s bib number
-
Convenient, with some type of handle for carrying
-
Sustainable, boasting a low carbon footprint and strong eco credentials
POLLAST!C®, a clear, high-performance film made from recycled plastic collected before it entered the ocean, was the perfect fit.
Overcoming Recycling Challenges
Australia’s current soft plastics recycling infrastructure remains limited, raising initial concerns about end-of-life options for the bags. To address this, Better Packaging Co. guaranteed full recycling of any bags returned after the event.
Organisers set up collection points across the marathon site, giving runners a choice:
-
Take the bag home for reuse
-
Drop it off for recycling before leaving the event
This closed-loop system ensured that as few bags as possible ended up in landfill — a practical, eco-friendly solution that matched the Sydney Marathon’s sustainability goals.
Running Toward a Cleaner Future
The adoption of POLLAST!C® gear bags at the Sydney Marathon 2025 represents a major step forward for sustainable sporting events in Australia. By converting plastic waste into durable, reusable packaging, the marathon demonstrated how large-scale events can reduce their carbon footprint while setting a new benchmark for environmental responsibility.
From shoreline to start line, the Sydney Marathon proved that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand.
