Flags built with next-generation fabric technology
Wave goodbye to microplastics pollution. Better Flags are leading the shift with biodegradable polyester flags.
A new standard for the flag industry
Better Flags was created by Niek van der Kuijl out of a clear vision to make the flag industry more sustainable. When Niek noticed that even the most inspiring movements were using symbols made from plastic, he founded Hemptex to produce regenerative, premium natural flags crafted from hemp.
Having realized a premium proposition, Niek turned to the challenge of mass-produced polluting polyester flags. Recycled PET, the current ‘sustainable option’, is not biodegradable, and the supply chain of PET is notoriously untransparent. Niek founded Better Flags, enhanced with CiCLO® technology that allowed polyester flags to naturally biodegrade over time. A polyester flag that leaves no trace.
Together, Hemptex and Better Flags tackle the industry’s environmental challenges from every angle: Hemptex delivers the ultimate natural and regenerative product, while Better Flags provide a practical, sustainable, and groundbreaking alternative for polyester flags.
Tech that mimics nature
CiCLO® works through a cutting edge, nature-mimicking process. When blended into polyester and spun into fiber, CiCLO® forms small, microbe-accessible areas throughout the strand. These sites attract naturally occurring microbes, allowing them to enzymatically break down the polymer, mineralizing it into CO₂, water, and biomass. The additive is permanent; it doesn’t wash out and only activates when the fibers are released into the environment.
biodegradation in natural seawater after ~1,362 days (ASTM D6691)
in soil after ~1,171 days (ASTM D5988)
in anaerobic landfill conditions after ~1,278 days (ASTM D5511)
in wastewater-sludge tests after ~952 days (ASTM D5210)
No greenwashing here
Transparency
From the U.S. technology that powers CiCLO®, woven in Germany by Georg+Otto Friedrich, assembled by FAHNENGÄRTNER, and printing in Europe with some of the most cutting-edge systems – every step in our supply chain is fully traceable.
Integrity
No greenwashing. Instead: accountability and the best existing solution to one of the flag industry’s biggest environmental challenges.
Honesty
Better Flags are designed to biodegrade over time and are made with recycled and traceable PET. This means true impact. But lets also be real: all polyester, even when CiCLO enhanced, remains petroleum-based, made out of a non-renewable resource.
Impact
With over 150 million flags sold each year in the U.S alone, the industry’s footprint is massive. A single polyester flag can shed up to 25.5% of its weight as microplastics. Better Flags provide a responsible alternative, reducing waste and setting a new benchmark for sustainable branding.
Backing the claim
Better Flags takes a systematic, audited, and evolving approach to impact, covering certified CiCLO® supply partners, third-party testing, and only European-based manufacturing.
Built to Last
From weaving in Germany to assembly in Austria and the Netherlands, every stage of Better Flags’ production is transparent and documented.
Sustainable and Traceable
All Better Flags are made from polyester enhanced with CiCLO®, sourced responsibly and exclusively from European suppliers.
Planet Friendly
Designed for a lifetime of use, Better Flags biodegrade naturally within approximately three years once discarded.
Awarded & Certified
Better Flags materials meet global standards for environmental responsibility, and carry OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification.
