With ecommerce still growing in tons of places, you’ve got to keep up with the trends. There’s a lot of shopping happening online, and these products are something that online retailers have started to focus on.

The packaging waste is growing, and many times, it’s not sourced sustainably. New trees get felled, and a lot of it ends up in the landfill.

With consumers becoming more aware of the environmental impact that’s coming, they want the businesses they work with to step up and make their packaging sustainable for everyone. That’s why here, we’ll go over why you should use it, and some of the ways to encourage sustainable packaging in your ecommerce business. 

What eco friendly packaging is 

Do you ever get packages that are more air than product? A lot of online retailers are guilty of this, especially if they are trying to protect something small inside.

Green packaging, otherwise known as eco friendly packaging, pushes back against the disposable traditional methods of shipment. With over half of the plastic produced only used once before it’s thrown away, something does have to give. 

Rather than using a plastic that’s single use and won’t degrade, or boxes that are far too large compared to the item inside, this eco friendly packaging does focus on the minimization of waste, and also prioritizing the recyclable and reusable materials, with far fewer toxins. 

There’s a ton of different options, so businesses of all kinds can utilize green packaging in order to maintain their branding. 

The Best alternatives 

Here, we’ll go over the top alternatives to non-biodegradable packaging and giant boxes that are used. Adding these will help with ensuring you’re getting the most from your packaging products: 

• Biodegradable starch-based packing peanuts. With normal packing peanuts made from Styrofoam and taking 500 years to break down, something needed to change. Enter the starch-based peanuts, all with a protective type of power that’s like the regular Styrofoam ones. They are able to dissolve in minutes and minimize the overall environmental impact. 
• Biodegradable plastic: this is plastic that will break down, compared to the single-use ones. We already have a ton of plastic for every three tons of various fish out there. While it might cost more, it does reduce the waste, and your customers swill like it more. 
• Natural Fabrics: you can use natural fabrics such as burlaps and cotton to wrap around the items. These are cheap, protect most items that aren’t fragile, and also will be much better for the environment than more expensive alternatives. 
• Reusable paper envelopes: paper and cardboard are easy to recycle, but these are good for reducing the material waste that you use, and it does decrease the shipping costs and the cardboard waste. It’s good as well if you have an item that needs to be sent back and exchanged too, saving everyone money.
• Reusable packaging: boxes that can be used to create a cat tree or a doll house are examples of this. rather than throwing it away, it gets new life.  There’s tons of different options and are ideal for rebranding to better styles. 

The Challenges with this 

Sustainable packaging is great, and there’s tons of benefits. After all, you’re getting packaging that’s great for the environment and also makes your customers happy.

Your biggest challenge will be costs and sourcing. Look around, and you’ll find providers that are sustainable and friendly to the environment. Do your research and take it upon yourself to find the right packaging today. You won’t’ regret it, and you’ll love the results.