Ideas for more ecological solutions for shipping products from your online store

Online stores are one of the parties responsible for the growing amount of waste that fills the landfills, pollutes the oceans, and has an overall negative impact on our whole ecosystem. Each company working in the field of e-commerce should strive to improve their packaging practices and switch to more ecological solutions.

How to make your online store more green?

In order to make an online store more green, it is necessary to implement eco-friendly packaging solutions. Instead of using single-use, non-biodegradable, and non-recyclable plastics, the e-commerce company should opt for compostable and recycled packaging, as well as biodegradable packing filling. One of the solutions to become more green is also to implement reusable packaging solutions.

Compostable packaging

Compostable packaging is the packaging made from organic materials that decompose more easily and not leave behind any toxic chemicals or other particles that may prove harmful. The most popular compostable packaging materials are:

• bioplastics – plastics made from renewable sources such as cornstarch, sugarcane, wood, algae, and more, which help reduce the use of fossil fuels for plastic production,
• mycelium packaging – an eco-friendly, mushroom-based replacement for packaging made of Styrofoam.

Recycled packaging

Recycled packaging is made of recycled materials. It reuses plastics, paper, and cardboard that have already been produced and used.

Recycled plastic

By using the packaging made of recycled plastic the e-commerce company can reduce the need for raw materials and diminish their carbon imprint. It is important to mention, however, that most plastics can be recycled only two to three times. It means that even the packaging made of recycled plastic will eventually become a waste piling up in a landfill.

Recycled paper and cardboard

Paper and cardboard are highly recyclable materials. In order to make the online store shipping more eco-friendly, the e-commerce company should use recycled packaging made with paper and cardboard obtained from post-consumer and post-industrial sources.

Biodegradable packing filling

Traditional packing filling is usually made from Styrofoam – a material very slow to degrade that contributes to the pollution of the environment and to global warming. To make an online shop shipment more eco-friendly, it is necessary to implement more sustainable alternatives in the form of . It is made of natural materials, such as cornstarch, wheat, and potato starch. It decomposes within a couple of weeks and does not leave any harmful residue.

Reusable packaging

A solution that will allow the e-commerce company to become more eco-friendly while shipping products from the online store is the implementation of reusable packaging. It can come in the form of special pouches or mailers, which were designed to be resilient, easy to clean, and repurposable for a vast variety of uses. For instance, the mailers with double adhesive strips can be resealed and sent again.

Eco-friendly boxes

A very comfortable, yet fully sustainable solution that will allow the online shop shipping to become more green are KRAFT eco-friendly boxes manufactured by MILO Group. They are made of renewable rigid solid cardboard created from FSC-certified raw materials. They use ecological veneer, have an interesting design, and will prove themselves in any industry. The KRAFT eco-friendly boxes are a perfect solution for companies that are not indifferent to the fate of the Earth and want to do something to improve the state the planet is in. Aside from being sustainable, they also have other advantages that can prove beneficial for the e-commerce company, such as great aesthetics, versatility, and availability in various shapes and sizes.