Three Easy Ways to Make Your Shipping Packaging More Environmentally Friendly
Running a small retail business out of your home will most definitely involve a lot of shipping to cater to the orders of your customers. Even though shipping will always involve excess materials that keep your merchandise protected, this does not mean you have to send every shipment out with a lot of waste that will just end up in the trash. If you want to develop your business with environmentally sound principles, paper and packaging used for shipping will be an important topic of focus. To ensure the shipments you send out to your customers is as friendly to the environment as possible, there are a few simple things you can make sure you do when it comes to paper and packaging.
Use shipping containers that can be reused or recycled.
The shipping containers you use to send customers their merchandise can easily be changed to ensure they are either reusable or environmentally friendly. Cardboard is always a good option and is often made with recycled materials. Just make sure the packages you choose are clearly marked as recyclable. You can also use shipping boxes that are reusable for an added environmental appeal. For example, if you ship out something in a small plastic container, this is something that would likely serve repeated purposes for the customer.
Make sure filler material used in shipments is recyclable.
There are an array of different types of filler material available that you can use to wrap your merchandise in to keep it safe and sound during shipping but not every option is environmentally friendly. For example, plastic bubble wrap, and styrofoam packing peanuts are not biodegradable even though these may be the most readily available options. Options that will be a better choice if you are going for environment-friendly safety would include things like shredded recycled paper or recycled cardboard pieces.
Switch to recyclable tape products.
Even if you use environmentally friendly cardboard or reusable packaging, what you use to seal the package shut will likely be some form of adhesive tape. While you may be tempted to just go with traditional plastic tape, there are other options that are actually biodegradable. Tape made from recycled paper is one easy option to consider. This tape is usually used with a dispenser that moistens the adhesive with water as it is dispensed, and the best part is, even the adhesive glue does not contain harmful toxins.
Talk to companies like Commonwealth Inc to see what kinds of environmentally friendly packaging materials they offer.