Eco-friendly packaging options for your online store

It’s estimated that 5.45 million tonnes of packaging was made available to the end-consumer (including business users) in Australia in 2017-18.

That’s a lot of packaging!

If you run an online store, no matter what size, you need to think about the environmental impact your packaging is making.

Why do you need to care?

It’s good for the planet and good for business.

  • Obviously, the environmental impact
  • You may be legally required to
  • It increases affinity with your customers
  • Customers are increasingly environmentally conscious and will align with brands who are too
  • You can be part of the problem or part of the solution

What is the target?

In 2018 Australia established the 2025 National Packaging Targets to create a new sustainable pathway for the way we manage packaging in Australia.

The four targets, to be achieved by 2025, are:

  • 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging
  • 70% of plastic packaging being recycled or composted
  • 30% of average recycled content included in packaging
  • The phase out of problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic packaging.

What can you do?

Go plastic-free

Just because something is recyclable it doesn’t mean it actually gets recycled. According to WWF Australians use an average of 130 kg of plastic per person each year. Only 12% of that’s recycled.

More frightening still, up to 130,000 tonnes of plastic will find its way into our waterways and into the ocean.

The best thing we can do is to go plastic-free. As consumers become more educated about this they will be looking to purchase from plastic-free brands.

Don’t send air 

Choose a package size that fits your product snuggly

Up to 40% of every parcel shipped today is just air. That’s not only a lot of wasted packaging but also think about the space it takes up in transport and adds to the number of transport miles needed.

Consider becoming a member of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO). 

APCO is a co-regulatory, not-for-profit organisation that partners with government and industry to reduce the harmful impact of packaging on the Australian environment.

If you turnover less than $5million the membership fee is $510 at the time of writing this.

Encourage your customers to reuse

As I said before, just because something is recyclable it doesn’t mean it will actually get recycled. Encourage your customers to reuse their packaging.  Not only will it save them dollaroos it will help the planet. Suggested ways to reuse package:

  • Reuse boxes to organise your drawers
  • Reuse tissue paper to gift wrap presents
  • Reuse mailer bags to send mail, or if they are compostable use them as a bin liner for your compost bin

Who gives a crap does this really well, even including a to and from gift card section on their toilet roll packaging.

Choose the best packaging you can

Thankfully there are better packaging options available for small online business owners.

Here are a few that are small-business-friendly, meaning you can order small quantities:

The Better Packaging Co

The Better Packaging Co supply compostable mailers and labels and at the time of writing, they are also trialling a SWOP program which allows for packaging to be reused again and again and again. Check it out.

Hero Packaging

Hero Packaging are another great supplier of compostable mailers including padded bags. They come in a great range of colours and they also offer customisation. They also have a beautiful Indigenous designed mailer made in collaboration with Yarli Creative.

Inke

Inke supply custom printed postage cardboard boxes which use UV ink – an eco-friendly alternative that doesn’t contain the carbon-based chemicals found in other inks. They also source and make their products in Australia, meaning fewer travel miles. 

No Issue Tissue

If you need to wrap your items in tissue paper, the best we could find was No Issue Tissue. They supply custom printed tissue paper, stickers and tape. They use soy-based ink and their tissue is acid-free and FSC Certified. 

Heaps Good

Heaps Good have a range of eco friendly packaging including compostable mailers, bubble wrap alternative, sticky tape, stickers and labels. For every order they get they plant a tree through their partnership with Ecologi. At the time of writing, they have planted 16,943 which is pretty cool.

Final word

Changing to eco-friendly packaging is good for the planet and good for business. And every little bit helps.

Please comment below and let us know how you are doing your bit to reduce the impact packaging has on our planet – and please let us know what other eco-friendly packaging options you know of so we can share them here. 

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About Karyn Parkinson

Karyn (“with a Y!”) is an eCommerce marketing specialist with a knack for high-converting Facebook ad funnels and website optimisation. Through her eCommerce marketing agency and on-the-pulse training programs, Karyn’s helped hundreds of eCommerce store owners across the globe boost profits, generate more revenue, and achieve an ad-spend ROI of their dreams. 

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