Sustainable packaging solutions

Recyclable packaging Sustainable packaging

Tried and tested sustainable packaging from the Silly Girl Club!

At Silly Girl Club we love the planet and hate waste. That's why we have compiled this list of our favourite sustainable packaging from suppliers in the UK. 

Here's why we love sustainable packaging:

In the UK 85-88% of mixed plastic is not reaching our recycling bins! That's a huge statistic. We currently generate around 2.4 million tonnes of packaging waste a year. (for visuals, a small car weighs roughly ONE tonne)

84% of consumers say they will search out responsible products where possible. That's a whopping statistic, if you're not currently sending out your products in responsible packaging you are behind the times! The words green/eco friendly & sustainable all saw increased searches last year on google so it's time to change or get left behind, i'd say!

Eco friendly tape:

I've tried a couple of these, my favourite being Priory Direct's paper packing tape

It is biodegradable, recyclable, plastic free & made from recycled materials. I love this tape because it is self adhesive, unlike some other tapes I have used before where you have to wet the tape manually. A time consuming task when you're running a small business! My favourite thing about this tape is the statement it gives, being printed with the words "Delivered in planet friendly packaging" across it, your customers will know that you care.

It's also a bargain price at 2.40 for a 50m roll. The more you buy the cheaper their pricing is too! I give this a 5/5

You can buy their paper packing tape here.

Eco Friendly Mailers:

Okay, I have tried and tested a LOT of these but i'll keep it short and sweet with my favourite two brands. Lil Bag & Priory Direct.

The Lil Bag LB2 Kraft Paper Mail Bag - Perfect for a t-shirt. 4/5

I've been using this bag for years now! Recently the paper they use has gotten thinner which is a shame but it appears to still do the job. There is a little turtle printed on the front using water based inks, cute touch!

Lil Bag mailers are made here in the UK which is something I go for when looking for products as it reduces the carbon footprint of my business.

If you're selling smaller items these are great but a little bigger and the downside to these is that they have a 0.5cm seal down each side which means you can't maximise the envelope to fit as much as you'd hope into them.

The bags cost 27.60 inc. VAT for 100, making them 28p a pop. You can buy them here. 

The Lil Bag LB5-RTN Kraft Paper Mail Bag. 5/5

Again, same vibe as above but these are bigger. I have used them to send denim jackets in the past and trust them to be sturdy enough to do so which is a great bonus to the brand Lil Bag. It's definitely a product I trust to get my items there. Their sticky seal is the firmest of all the bags i've tried.

Priory Direct Penguin Mailer. 5/5

A new item to their portfolio, this has quickly become my favourite eco friendly mailing bag. It's more of an envelope than a bag and you can get the most out of it's size meaning you pay less at the post office a it fits through as a large letter.

I use these for my make up bags, tshirts, bumbags etc. They are the perfect size -with room to spare! These mailers are recyclable, biodegradable, plastic free and made from sustainably sourced materials to ensure your despatch operation is as eco-friendly as possible.
On top of all this they're just £13.70 for 100 making them the cheapest of the lot at 14p each -there is no minimum order either. You can buy the Penguin mailer here. 

I'd love to add how incredible Priory Direct is at shipping too, every time i've bought they have always delivered the next day, ensuring i'm never left without packaging!

Love the idea of the Penguin mailer but ship larger items? 

Try the Sea Turtle Mailing Bag by Priory Direct. 4/5

This bag is just as great as the one above but it comes in a bigger size with gussets at the side (that word is the worst!) adding a width of 25mm. I'm currently using these to ship my denim jackets. The sizing is pretty odd on these meaning unless you fold them over they wont go through as a small parcel with royal mail but for the price, you cant complain.

These are just £16.55 for 100 large bags, thats 17p per bag. You can buy them here.

Looking for something that looks like a poly-bag but isn't?

I hear ya, you want something with the properties of plastic but without it costing the earth! If none of these take your fancy as you're looking for something with a plastic feel, here are some alternatives. I personally tend to stay clear of these as they require composting in order to break down. I live in the UK, where barely anyone does home composting so it worries me that they'll stick around or be put in the wrong rubbish. 

The Wastebased (e-co)mmerce mailer bag 

Why not try Wastebased? I've used Wastebased in the past as they make biodegradable mail bags, some of which dissolve in boiling water in seconds. Now that's something I can get behind!

Eco Friendly Packaging

The bags I would recommend are their (e-co)mmerce carbon negative mailers. You can dispose of used bags in a compost bin with food scraps and garden waste and they’ll break down into rich garden compost in about 6 months.

They're £18 for 100 making them just 18p each and the shipping is free too! 

You can order them here. 

 

Noissue Compostable Mailers

Another brand that make mailers like this are Noissue. I actually won a competition a while ago where I won some of these to try out.

The Noissue Mailers are by far the most stand out in terms of quality and vibrance of all the eco friendly mailers I have tried, the message across the bag makes your green intentions clear. These sparked up a lot of conversation at the Post Office!
These are £30 for 100, making them 30p. The best looking i've seen but also the most expensive. 
You can order them here.

 

Looking for Flyers? 

I send out a flyer with every order, they're printed here in the UK and made from 100% recycled fibres. Sustainably certified! 

100% recycled fibre business cards from Printed.com 

These are the business cards I use, the colours really POP! You really wouldn't guess that they are made from 100% recycled fibres.

When ordering, please note that you can only order these in quantities of 1000. When you get to option 3 on their flyers page just manually typed 1000 and the option will come up. I chose a two sided, recycled silk flyer in A5. The price came to £49.60 for 1000, meaning they're 5p each. 

You can order them here.

 

Recycled/ Recyclable Business Cards & Swing Tags

I spent so much time finding the right cards for my business cards that when I found them I decided to use them as my swing ticket provider too! I use business cards and manually punch a hole in them to transform them into a swing ticket. 

These beauties are from Banana Print who are only 16 miles down the road from me! I highly recommend them, they even helped me with the sizing and fitting my design on the bleed area free of charge! They do 24 hour printing so if you run out you don't have to worry too long!!!
 
1000 of these will cost you just £30.95 for single sided. £40.95 for double sided. You can order them here. 

 

 

I'll keep updating this page as I find more new packaging solutions that are environmentally friendly <3 

 

Packaging statistics: https://www.wrap.org.uk/content/plastic-packaging

Responsible products statistics:  https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/Twenty%20Years%20of%20Ethical%20Consumerism%202019.pdf 


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  • Emma Lynch on

    Super helpful! Thank you

  • Anthony Sotelo on

    Super insightful and nicely written. Lovely read <3


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