10 tips for more sustainable shipping and packaging

Sustainable shipping and packaging has become a must; and that’s a good thing! To help you out, we at RAJA have put together 10 tips that we hope you’ll find useful

1. Renewable? Yes thanks!

If you want to ship and pack sustainably, in many cases it’s best to choose products made from renewable materials like paper and cardboard

This gives lower CO2 emissions and will be well received by your customers.

2. Less air, more content

Do you use the same ashtray for all your products, so that the ashtray is often too big? Then there is a big possibility that you send a lot of air to your customers. This can cause irritation to the recipients, and also lead to unnecessary costs.

The solution is tailor-made packaging for your different products. Some concrete examples are variable-height boxes, flat post boxes, box boxes or padded e-commerce bags. Packaging that fits well around your product gives you several advantages:

• Your packages are more compact, so that several orders can go in the same car
• You need significantly less packing and protection .

Check out variable height boxes

3. Make it easier to return goods

For many online retailers, returns are part of everyday life. For example, customers expect that when they buy clothes online, they can try them on at home and be confident that they can return them if they don’t fit.

To avoid creating the need for a separate return envelope, it is best to make the original envelope return-friendly. This can be done, for example, with a double glue strip. The first strip is used to close the envelope when you send it, the second is used to close the envelope if the customer returns the item.

Want to know more? See our double glue striped boxes here

4. Choose packaging with only one material

To make things simpler for your customers, you should consider choosing packaging that has only one material. This means that customers don’t have to split up the packaging when they have to recycle it. For example, you can send your goods in a cardboard tray, protect the goods with paper parcel stuffing, and close the tray with paper parcel tape. This way, the entire tray with parcel stuffing can be thrown straight into the paper bag. The customer gets a good experience, and you achieve better customer satisfaction.

5. Choose packaging that fits in your mailbox

Do you want your parcel to be delivered in a regular mailbox? Remember to choose packaging that fits, so you avoid the parcel not being delivered. There is a wide range of boxes adapted for delivery in a mailbox. The boxes are nice and compact, and you get space for more than you think.

Want to know more? Send faster and cheaper with a postal spoon

6. Using old packaging is sustainable!

Not throwing away old packaging, but reusing it is probably the simplest environmental action of all. For example, cardboard boxes can easily be reused, and when they become worn out, they can be shredded and used as parcel filling. That gives you a safe shipment, and you’re making a good environmental choice.

Want to know more? See how to make free parcel fillers with a cardboard maker

7. Recycle, recycle, recycle

We can’t say it often enough: proper sorting and recycling is key to sustainable waste management. We recommend that you only use packaging that is either recycled or recyclable. Cardboard and paper are good alternatives here. If you use plastic packaging, you should lead by example and choose plastic packaging made from recycled material as much as possible.

Below you can see environmentally friendly bubble wrap and stretch film. These are now available in recycled versions, and they are just as good quality as traditional plastic.

8. Inform the recipient about waste management

” It is not always clear to consumers what to do with packaging. Therefore, provide clear information on how to sort a package. This can be done during the ordering process or upon receipt of the package. Explain what the symbols on the packaging mean and what it means for sorting.

Read more about recycling of packaging here

9. Close the packaging with paper

Paper packaging tape is an excellent alternative to traditional plastic tape. Paper tape simplifies waste management since you can sort and recycle the ash without removing the tape, saving you or the customer time. A smart tip for an efficient everyday life!

Read more about paper tape here

10. Use environmentally friendly packing chips

We all know about packet crisps, which used to be a very common filling material. These were made of plastic and were not the best environmental choice. A good alternative to these are environmentally friendly packet crisps made of starch. These break down with water and do not leave behind toxic waste

If you want to know more about how you can pack more sustainably, contact one of RAJA’s packaging advisors on 22 51 40 00 or post@rajapack.no