When I decided to start selling physical products, I knew I wanted my packaging for my business to be as eco-friendly as possible from day one. If you’re reading this blog post though, you and I can probably agree that it can feel a bit daunting at the beginning. I have been selling digital products here on my website for a few years now, but something about shipping is SCARY. This isn’t an paid ad & none of these links are affiliate links. I’m just a really, really happy customer who wants to educate other business owners on the sustainable options that are out there for your packaging that can still provide a personalized, branded experience for your customers. I’m going to break it down and even share how much I paid so that you’ll know what to expect.
However, I do want to start this post off by being transparent with y’all and letting you know that I am no sustainability expert. I’m just a human who did their research. That’s why you’re here, right? Doing your research? Let’s get into my TWO must-haves for my eco-friendly packaging for my small business.
Branded Tissue Paper
My first must-have is my branded tissue paper. One of the decisions I made was having my custom tissue paper printed by NoIssue. The tissue paper is acid free & printed with soy-based inks. Their tissue paper is also FSC Certified meaning the paper is sourced from a sustainable and responsibly managed supply chain.
Their online design interface (“tissue editor”) is extremely easy to use and gives you plenty of options and ideas. They have custom color options for your tissue paper. You also have the ability to upload a finished design in a variety of file formats. For some reason, I had some issues with uploading my logo when I went to order. Their customer service was quick to respond and extremely helpful throughout the entire design & ordering process. If you’ve been around here for some time, you’ll know that customer service is my biggest make or break with a company. 10 out of 10 in my book.
The actual sheets I have are much larger than what I show in the above photo if you’re wondering. I purchased their standard size, which measures 50cm x 74cm or roughly 19.68″ x 29.13″. I cut them down into thirds (and sometimes I even cut those in half) to fit the order I’m packaging. It creates less waste, helps me stretch my investment further, and still gives my customer a gift wrapped with lots of love. I do want to note that they do sell a small size if you’re interested in that, which measures 38cm x 50cm or roughly 14.96″ x 19.68″. NoIssue also offers custom stickers, custom tape, and other custom eco-friendly packaging for your business if you happen to be looking for that.
Let’s talk about pricing. Like most things custom in this world, you can save money by ordering in larger amounts. I took a chance and invested ($$) in a large order of this custom tissue paper because I knew the style of packaging I was going for and don’t plan on changing my logo any time soon. I ordered 1,000 sheets of tissue paper for a total of exactly $250. This breaks down to $0.25 per sheet. However, like I mentioned above, I do cut each sheet into AT LEAST thirds for the majority of my orders and that makes my cost for packaging per order that I send out even less.
Recycled Bubble Mailers
The second must-have for my eco-friendly packaging is my recycled bubble mailers from Eco-Enclose. It comes in three sizes (at the time of me writing this blog), but shown above is the smallest size measuring 4″ x 6.75″. Let’s talk about the details. They’re made with at least 32.6% recycled content and are fully recyclable. If you’re rolling your eyes at that percentage… DON’T! That is such a huge improvement and is a step in the right direction (and one that many thought they couldn’t achieve). They also have a tear strip and dual peel-and-seal so your customers can reuse them at least once before they are recycled. They are moisture resistant, which makes me feel more at peace knowing that it could see a lot of different weather in it’s journey from me to my customer. The best part… Wait for it… AND MADE IN THE USA. Woohoo!!!
It is important for me to talk about how you would recycle this packaging. You know at the front of the grocery store when there is a nice little bin labeled to recycle old plastic grocery bags? BOOM. You’d drop off this packaging in the same place to make sure it is properly recycled. They have a site dedicated to their bubble mailers if you’d like to learn more: www.ecobubblemailers.com/. If you’re interested in 100% recycled mailers, they do offer a padded mailer that is paper-based and their information is filled with a lot of great information that can help you decide what is best for your business.
They offer other types of shipping supplies (poly-mailers, boxes, clear bags, etc.) For example, I personally also own the rigid self-seal mailers and love them. I just happen to use these bubble mailers the most and as my primary shipping supply for my business. Oops! One more thing. Don’t forget to add the complimentary “We Care” cards to your order. I include one with each order that I ship out so that my customer is reminded to reuse/recycle the packaging. The back is blank, which is perfect for writing a hand-written thank you or adding your own branded stamp to.
Last, but certainly not least, let’s talk about pricing. If you ordered the small sized bubble mailer as shown in the photo above, you could get a bundle of 25 for $9.75 ($0.39 each) or a bundle of 500 for $99.75 ($0.20 each). YEP. Eco-friendly doesn’t have to mean expensive! You can make affordable, but impactful decisions with your business. (Pssst… I even had a customer mention my eco-friendly packaging in a review on Etsy!)
There you have it! My two must-haves for my eco-friendly packaging for my small business. I hope that this blog helped break it down a bit more for you and helps you as you make decisions for your own business journey. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below or shoot me a DM on Instagram. Until next time, stay bossy y’all.
