Eco-Friendly Shipping Supplies That Will Get You Into “Ship Shape”

Hand-written letters are a thing of the past, unfortunately. Nowadays, the only thing you’ll get in the mail is marketing leaflets and parcels.

The marketing leaflets are usually a complete and utter waste, and we all sigh when we see them lying around. However, we rarely stick our noses up at the parcels.

And with online shopping becoming more and more popular in recent years, and the ever-growing amount of parcels that people are shipping to one another due to immigration, shipping is suddenly becoming something we all know about and understand.

And it’s great. There’s nothing quite like getting a parcel in the mail. It’s all the fun of shopping and gifts without any of the stress.

But what happens with all the cardboard and bubble wrap?

It goes in the bin. In fact, approximately 72 million tonnes of shipping packaging and containers go into the bin in the U.S. alone.

Suddenly, my parcel doesn’t seem so nice anymore.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! There are several companies that are working towards getting you your online shopping without the guilt of eco-unfriendly packaging with sustainable shipping supplies. (Sorry, no answers to how to cure the guilt of over-spending yet!)

EcoEnclose Bubble wrap

There are quite a few “eco-friendly” bubble wraps floating around that don’t quite hit the mark. They all boast promises of 25/30/35% recycled materials.

And that’s just not good enough.

But don’t worry. EcoEnclose has got something that’s 100% for you.

EcoEnclose claims that this bubble wrap “may very well be the MOST earth-friendly shipping supplement ever available”. This fully biodegradable, upcycled bubble wrap is 100% recycled from post-industrial and post-consumer waste and leaves zero trace behind.

And you know what else?? It’s affordable!

This is definitely something you could purchase in bulk to have in the house for when you need to send parcels.

EcoEnclose Sellotape

Another one from EcoEnclose is their sellotape.

Sellotape really is, as what Homer Simpson says, “the cause and solution to all life’s problems”. It’s so useful, necessary even, but it’s a gigantic waste of plastic.

But never fear, help is here!

EcoEnclose have two types of tapes for you to choose from too.

Kraft Cello-tape

Instead of using plastic, EcoEnclose have made sellotape from cellophane (hence the name “cello” – get it??). The cellophane backing comes with with a natural rubber adhesive crafting and is entirely plant-derived.

Kraft Paper Tape

This water-activated tape is recommended for high-volume applications. They also claim that one strip of this tape does the job of 3 strips of plastic tape. Can’t go wrong with that, huh?

Kraft Flatback Tape

For their low-volume shipping, they recommend the Kraft Flatback Tape. This has paper backing and pressure-sensitive natural rubber adhesive. It’s easy to tear, and there’s no tape dispenser required.

HangerPak

This is a fantastic example of what can be done with what we’re already working with.

Steve Haslip from New York City created the Hangerpak because he was sick of getting his shirts all crinkled up in the mail and then having no hangers to put them up on. What he managed to create not only eliminated those problems, but also helps reduce waste!

This idea is fantastic because of its simplicity. All you do is follow the instruction on the box (that look relatively simple) and create your very own eco-friendly hanger for your brand new shirt! The only waste is the green tab that you pull to open the box.