Plastic Free and Minimal Packaging
Everyone loves the speed and convenience of Online Shopping. But this comes with its own set of problems. It is safe to say, we are drowning in a sea of packaging waste, plastic packaging waste to be specific.
Sellers want to ensure that goods arrive in perfect condition and this usually results in over packaging. How many times haven't we received a small product in a really big box or something that is wrapped in layers and layers of bubble wrap when the product does not even fall under the fragile category???
The answer, all the time.
While most of these packaging materials are recyclable, India’s abysmal record indicates that a large portion of these materials will end up clogging our drains and landfills.
What is the solution this you ask??
A long-term solution can be to bring a law in place perhaps, that would regulate e-commerce packaging. Some guidelines should be made mandatory to follow. Bring in an effective recycling and disposal options.
But until then what can we can sellers do??
Prioritize materials which are as easily recyclable as possible.
Use materials that are easily biodegradable/ compostable.
Use recycled paper shred or corrugated bubble wrap as a filling instead of plastic bubble wraps.
Use a box only if it's essential and for others, a mailer would be ideal.
Use as little material as possible and ship as little excess air as possible.
Use paper tapes instead of plastic tapes.
Try to educate your customers on how they should dispose of their packaging.
Because environmentally friendly packaging isn’t mainstream yet, it often costs more. And that takes its toll on our finances. We need to stand in this together and make our voice heard. More demand will automatically solve the cost problem.
At Good Old Soul, we try our best to ship the products with completely plastic-free and minimal packaging.
In fact, implementing eco packaging in our/your brand’s operations is no longer an option - it’s a necessity.
Sellers want to ensure that goods arrive in perfect condition and this usually results in over packaging. How many times haven't we received a small product in a really big box or something that is wrapped in layers and layers of bubble wrap when the product does not even fall under the fragile category???
The answer, all the time.
While most of these packaging materials are recyclable, India’s abysmal record indicates that a large portion of these materials will end up clogging our drains and landfills.
What is the solution this you ask??
A long-term solution can be to bring a law in place perhaps, that would regulate e-commerce packaging. Some guidelines should be made mandatory to follow. Bring in an effective recycling and disposal options.
But until then what can we can sellers do??
Prioritize materials which are as easily recyclable as possible.
Use materials that are easily biodegradable/ compostable.
Use recycled paper shred or corrugated bubble wrap as a filling instead of plastic bubble wraps.
Use a box only if it's essential and for others, a mailer would be ideal.
Use as little material as possible and ship as little excess air as possible.
Use paper tapes instead of plastic tapes.
Try to educate your customers on how they should dispose of their packaging.
Because environmentally friendly packaging isn’t mainstream yet, it often costs more. And that takes its toll on our finances. We need to stand in this together and make our voice heard. More demand will automatically solve the cost problem.
At Good Old Soul, we try our best to ship the products with completely plastic-free and minimal packaging.
In fact, implementing eco packaging in our/your brand’s operations is no longer an option - it’s a necessity.