As consumers become more conscious of their shopping habits, they are not only looking for environmentally friendly products. Sustainable business practices are also highly valued.
How products ordered from Shopify merchants are packaged and shipped has a significant impact on our planet—and customers care.
Company founders explain their sustainability practices, including eco-friendly packaging. Learn how they ship and fulfill their orders with the environment in mind. Discover their best eco-friendly packaging tips and get inspiration on how to bring more sustainability into your product packaging and shipping.
6 Tips for Environmentally Friendly Packaging
- Use compostable packaging and shipping bags
- Ship items in bulk
- Use sustainable packaging materials that can be reused
- Offer a return program for empty product containers
- Reduce the size of your packaging
- Offer CO₂-neutral shipping options by offsetting emissions
Dive into each of these eco-friendly packaging tips, including advice from e-commerce entrepreneurs on topics like recyclable packaging, sweden email list compostable materials, sustainable alternatives to plastic bags, fillers, and more.
1. Use compostable packaging and shipping bags
A big trend in eco-friendly packaging is compostable and biodegradable materials.
“We were throwing away a lot of packaging from suppliers and then having to repackage things, which only exacerbated the problems with plastic waste and landfills,” says Vik.
So they took matters into their own hands.
“We did a little research and found out that you can actually use compostable shipping labels and bags to replace plastic,” explains Vik.
The material used by Hero Packaging is based on corn starch and cassava.
With business thriving in Australia, apps to edit videos Vik and Anaita are now seeing a large portion of their eco-friendly packaging sales coming from North America. To respond to the new demand, they are interested in partnering with fulfillment centers in the US.
Vik jokes: “A company that is basically on the other side of the world has a hard time shipping heavy boxes to other parts of the world.”
The couple aims to further reduce their carbon footprint by shipping closer to their customers in the most sustainable way possible.
2. Ship items in bulk
Harriet Simonis, David Fragomeni and Scott Ferguson became friends during their time in Bali. While surfing the local waves, burkina faso leads they were dismayed to see the ocean overflowing with single-use plastic packaging and discarded fishing nets. It was this moment that sparked their decision to adopt the zero-waste lifestyles they still practice today. While searching for plastic-free and eco-friendly products , they noticed something paradoxical.
“Many environmentally friendly products are packaged in plastic,” says Harriet. “This almost negates the good intention.”
Determined to create an eco-friendly solution, the trio founded Zero Waste Cartel , a brand of bath, body and kitchen products in biodegradable or reusable packaging.
Their pledge to go plastic-free came with its own challenges. Harriet says that because of the extra time and effort involved, the company struggled to find a warehouse that actually used the compostable shipping bags they provided.
They have now found a suitable partner in the United States, where most of their orders are placed. This further reduces their carbon footprint by shortening the shipping distance between warehouse and customers.
“We prefer to ship in bulk as it offers better value for both customers and the environment,” says Harriet. What might otherwise seem like an inflexible policy has resonated with Zero Waste Cartel customers, who recognize the value of buying in bulk for both the planet and their wallets.
3. Use sustainable packaging materials that can be reused
Since 2016, Roth Martin and Stephen (Hawthy) Hawthornthwaite have created high-quality, durable and machine-washable shoes made from plastic bottles under the name Rothy’s . With products that treat style and sustainability equally, Rothy’s counts Meghan Markle and supermodel Karlie Kloss among its fans. The team at Rothy’s takes a logical approach to reducing waste in its shipping and packaging practices.
Rothy’s hopes to reduce the additional use of paper cards and make their boxes even more versatile.
When it comes to sustainability, Rothy’s rethinks every detail, from products to packaging, so that every component of an order produces less waste.
4. Offer a return program for empty product containers
Visual artists Tara Pelletier and Jeff Kurosaki are the life and business partners behind Meow Meow Tweet , an organic skincare company that features cute animal illustrations on its eco-friendly product packaging . Their love of animals, which is also the motivation behind their vegan lifestyle, ultimately inspired them to create products with organic, unrefined plant oils, cold-pressed essential oils and botanicals.
Jeff and Tara want everything they create to either go back into the earth or be reusable. To achieve this goal, they use biodegradable packaging fillers and non-reinforced paper tape during their eco-friendly shipping process.