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USE CODE MEMORIAL FOR 10% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER. CLICK HERE TO SHOP TERMS
USE CODE MEMORIAL FOR 10% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER. TERMS
Memorial Day Sale – 10% Off
Discount applies to the regular price. Offer is not valid on Overstock and Clearance Price. Valid only at packagingsuppliesbymailbeta.com. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer. Some exclusions may apply. Must be logged into a customer account to apply. Offer subject to change at any time without notice. Offer valid 05/20/24 – 06/02/24.
Last Updated: September 30, 2021
You do most of your business through the web and the postal system, and business is good—great, even. But it’s occurred to you that you're generating too much extra waste in your mailings (which can translate into higher costs for supplies and shipping). Fortunately, there are options available for spending and shipping less, and therefore doing more for the environment. Here are a few eco-friendly mailing solutions for e-commerce orders.
The urge to keep products safe and secure can lead to overkill in packaging. It’s smart to ensure items arrive undamaged and intact, but make sure you’re not using more packaging than is necessary. Do you really need to ship a box within another box, or can you pick a more secure box in which to ship the goods? And can you send something in a mailing envelope rather than a box? Likewise, don’t pack every square inch of the package's interior with packing materials when just enough will do. Also, rather than stocking up on brand-new packing paper and the like, consider reusing paper from incoming packages. Also, send things in bulk versus using multiple packages, and go for smaller, lighter boxes as well.
Some packing materials work better for certain items than others, but you should always consider avoiding or cutting back on certain ones. Plastic and Styrofoam, of course, should be avoided, though these do have the benefit of being reusable. If you can create an exchange program where customers are compensated for returning packing materials, consider doing so. Otherwise, look for biodegradable packing materials. Currently, there are packing peanuts and other protective substances made from seaweed, mushrooms, cornstarch, and similar materials that can rot quickly in landfills. And don’t dismiss shredding paper and cardboard yourself and using them in your packaging mailers.
Once again, plastic packaging turns up, but most of the plastic air pillows you find in your packages have certain greener benefits. Most have been recycled from other plastic products. And not only are they reusable they’re also lighter and take up less room, which translates into smaller and lighter packages, lower shipping costs, and less weight and stress on the trucks, trains, and other vehicles that carry them.
When considering eco-friendly mailing solutions for e-commerce orders, look beyond your own efforts and find out what the companies who ship your products are doing. Many shippers have switched to more fuel-efficient vehicles, are using more eco-friendly equipment, machinery, and procedures for handling packages, and are implementing facilities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Most of the major companies have systems in place to go green, but feel free to ask them how they deal with waste, recycling, and cutting down on pollutants.
