Eco-Friendly Packaging & Green Shipping Ideas

Guest post by Katreena Sarmiento

Since the pandemic first hit, many physical establishments have opted to do their transactions online since people are going out less often. Lockdown and quarantine is a new reality for many people nowadays. Because of this new confinement to our houses, we therefore rely on online businesses for our daily transactions.

How do you enjoy opening your parcels and packages? Do you also do unboxing challenges when an exciting order arrives?

Many of today's transactions are shipped via couriers and delivered worldwide. Sellers are challenged to package their products well, to make sure they are presentable and eye-catching to customers. Usually, we see products inside boxes, or wrapped with cellophane and tagged with the store’s seal or logo. Bubble wrap is also utilized to keep fragile items intact and safe. Other materials like cans, chipboards, foils, poly bags, among others are also common in packaging products, depending on the variety and storage requirements to preserve them.

However, many of the mentioned materials are harmful to the environment and take a very long time to decompose. Plastics take anywhere from  20 to 500 years before they become part of the soil, while aluminum cans take about 80-200 years. Imagine the long years they stay floating on the ocean or scattered on the sidewalk. Additional trash will add to the mounting piles of garbage, and will later result in health and environmental issues affecting not just humans, but also animals and other living organisms.

Eco-Friendly Packaging Alternatives

To avoid making these problems even worse, it is high time that we shift from using nonbiodegradable materials for packaging and shipping to more sustainable options.

Here are some eco-friendly alternatives that businesses can consider when packaging and shipping products to customers. Everyone who exchanges packages can also implement these practices.

Cardboard Boxes

An extremely common shipping material, cardboard boxes are helpful in providing presentable packaging to the customers. They can handle various kinds of products, as well as offer a wide array of sizes and durability. Customers can recycle boxes and cardboard, re-purpose them for storage or re-use as a box to send their own packages. They are not harmful to the environment because they are biodegradable. They decompose fast and they become part of the soil, leaving no trace behind.

Corrugated Bubble Wrap

Aside from the fact that they look classy, this alternative is environmentally friendly. The usual bubble wrap that we see is made of plastic, but corrugated bubble wrap is made of recycled paper and cardboard, meaning, it is eco-friendly. It is best at handling fragile items because it serves as a cushion for the products. Although it is not very commonly used, it is much better for the environment and definitely worth the shift!

Organic Fabrics

Organic fabrics are yet another alternative to consider. They can be reused for multiple purposes and they do not harm the environment as much as plastic bags do. When they have served their purpose and are disposed of, they decompose in around a hundred days. Isn’t it fascinating that one can maximize their use and when the time is over, they still won’t hurt the environment?

It is amazing how there are actually lots of ways to achieve an eco-friendly business without breaking the bank. You can actually kill two birds with one stone by advocating for sustainable packaging and shipping and paying less. In addition to that, we help in keeping our clients’ health safe, even without them or us noticing it.

Imagine the amount of plastics and nonbiodegradable materials that we can save annually when we use these alternatives over traditional plastic wrappers that will inevitably end up in the trash. This may be a silent fight to ease environmental impact, but these small changes when put together can take us far — one step closer to achieving an environmentally sustainable world.

Of course, there is more work to be done than simply educating ourselves about sustainable alternatives. It is equally important that we also understand that simple and unnoticeable things can also impact our actions. In packaging and shipping our products, it is necessary to consider these simple ideas. This way, we can make small changes to maximize resources and minimize our environmental impact.

1. Utilize only the space needed for the products.

Of course, in doing this, we do not mean to compromise our products. We only want to save as much space and materials as possible, especially when it is not really necessary to give extra packaging to the order. Have you ever seen a bag of chips where the products inside do not even occupy half the space? What a waste of material!

2. Maximize edible packaging.

Sounds new? Well, imagine an ice cream sold in some corner of the mall. If you are environmentally inclined, which option will you choose — ice cream in a cup or in a cone? Right! You would choose the one inside the cone. Aside from the two having the same servings, you will leave zero waste when you use the cone because you can eat it after or together with the ice cream. This is only advisable for food products, of course.

3. Say no to multiple packaging.

Especially when the process is tedious and the product will have to undergo various checking and quality control verifications, the products are still wrapped and packaged. This is another reason why we need to be careful with our standards so as not to have more waste and cost in shipping. What’s the point, right? It is the product that the customers are waiting for, not the packaging. Of course, for some products more packaging may be necessary to make sure they are secure, but for many products there is a lot of room to cut down on superfluous packaging.

As we think green to advance our advocacy in preserving the environment, we also elevate our business to another level. Its impact can create ripple effects, that may inspire other businesses to share in our cause. We need to remember that it does not cost much to shift from traditional ways to these eco-friendly alternatives. We just need to be wise with our decisions. We only have one earth. How can we keep the business when we are losing mother nature? Sustainability is the key.

Katreena Sarmiento is a scientist and a life hack specialist. She's authored scientific journals on biotechnology and molecular biology. To take a break from scientific journals, she puts her mind into writing about lifestyle, health, and sustainability. She strongly believes that kindness makes the world go round.

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