Packaging inspiration

Our company's main value is sustainability, which we want to reflect on every aspect of our products, from materials to packaging. We want to avoid plastic packaging as much as possible, as it is not a biodegradable material. Shopping bags that we would offer on possible pop-up shops and marketplaces would be made of paper rather than plastic. We would encourage our customers to use fabric tote bags rather than these by offering a small discount if using their own, or our own ones for a reduced cost when purchased with another item.

Unbleached paper is a biodegradable material we would like to use in our labels and swing tags. Alternatively, bamboo paper and recycled paper would be an option.

As we are going to be focusing on the online sales, we have researched different ways to reduce our post-delivery waste. It can be frustrating to customers and especially to our target market who are leading environmentally sustainable lifestyles to have excess waste added to their lives.

The Rag_Bag (featured on the top left on the main picture) offers a service that lets you order your new items in a plastic bag, which you fill up with your old clothes to be sent to a charity of your choice. This would allow the customers not to just get rid of the packaging but also help them to conveniently recycle their old garments and contribute to charity. However the website has not been updated since 2014, so we are unaware whether this is still an ongoing project.

The Finnish invention RePack has won a handful of prestigious awards, and most recently the Nordic Council Environment Prize. They offer a reusable packaging that is designed to last at least 20 cycles, therefore receding the CO2 emissions by 80%. After their lifecycle, the wraps are up-cycled into other products, such as these amazing backpacks. There are currently 30 brands who offer RePack as a postage option, including Pure Waste and Filippa K. The community support is amazing and RePack features all stores on their website, therefore building important relationships and support between sustainable companies.