Sustainable Packaging – 5 Eco-Friendly Alternatives For Parcels

Are you looking for sustainable filling material for parcels and want to know how you can make your parcel shipping more environmentally friendly? Then you've come to the right place!

You may be familiar with the following situation: you order a relatively handy product from an online store and a few days later the delivery person brings you a huge parcel. After opening it, you realize that it contains the goods you ordered - and mountains of plastic wrap around it to protect them. It's probably happened to all of us at some point, and the more we care about environmental protection and sustainability, the more annoying it is.

So in this article I would like to give you some Ecological alternatives for padding shipping boxes. You'll find out why this is important, which filling materials are suitable and where you can get them from. I will also provide you with valuable information on cost and innovation aspects. Let's go!

You can find a brief overview here in advance:

1. Without filling material?
2. Motifs
3. Filling materials
   • Packaging chips made from corn starch
   • Hemp fleece
   • Wood wool
   • Schrenzpapier
   • Corrugated board
4. Costs
5. Innovation
6. Frequently asked questions
7. Closing words

Notice: The content of the article is only ostensibly aimed at commercial providers! Of course, you can also use the tips and ideas for private parcel shipping.

The role of cushioning material in the mail order business

Can't you simply do without padding and filling materials when shipping? No. Unfortunately, it is not possible without padding material.

Fragile goods must during transport from knocks and scratches protected should be avoided. Pointed objects or those with hard edges should be prevented from puncturing cartons. Heavy products that are damaged during shipping Vibrations could wear out due to the constant friction if they are not padded.

And what can you generally use as filling material? Here is a small overview of the most frequently used materials:

• Foam foil
• Air cushion / bubble wrap
• Packing chips
• Styrofoam panels
• Bubble cushion
• Wool
• Cardboard and paper
• All purpose blankets
• …

Of course, I don't want to call into question the fact that secure packaging material also includes filling. Most goods need a filling material in which they are wrapped or wrapped - or which cushions them. Cavities should be avoidedso that products sent by post arrive intact with the recipient.

However, sustainable padding material for parcels fulfills the purpose just as well as the conventionally used fillers made of plastic or polystyrene - and also protects the environment.

Good to know: Stuffing and padding in the mail order business are not the same thing, by the way. When a parcel is filled, the main aim is to close cavities and prevent the goods from sliding around in the box. When padding, the focus is on wrapping the product.

The impact of unsustainable upholstery and filling materials

Why is it so important to switch to sustainable filling material for parcels and shipping boxes? The Federal Environmental Agency has announced that 19 million tons of packaging waste in Germany in 2019 were generated. Although this figure also includes packaging from disposable products such as drinks cups, the mail order business also accounts for a high proportion of waste. And that is precisely what is problematic.

What exactly is the problem with packaging waste?

Every year, between 5 and 12 million tons of Plastic waste into the seas. There they are eaten by animals that die from them. Anyone who eats marine animals is very likely to ingest the microplastics through their food. Exactly what consequences this has has not been researched - But it is clear that it cannot be good. In addition, plastic film usually contains polyethylene, which is classified as harmful to health by BUND, an environmental and nature conservation association.

Styrofoam, which is often used as a cushioning material, is no better. Like plastic it is Non-biodegradable and is therefore piling up into ever larger mountains of waste. As soon as polystyrene becomes contaminated - i.e. when it is used as cups or tableware, but also when it is used in the mail order business - it can no longer be recycled. In addition, the basic building block of Styrofoam, styrene, is suspected of being carcinogenic.

For these and other reasons, any reduction or even avoidance of plastic and polystyrene waste is important, and each of us can contribute a little by using ecological alternatives. Find out now what these are, especially for upholstery and filling material.

Tip: Many returns of online orders are superfluous - this is another way to save packaging material! How exactly you as a seller or private consumer can Avoid returnsyou can find out in the linked article.

You can replace conventional filling materials with these environmentally friendly alternatives

What ecological alternatives are there to protect goods? There is a sustainable alternative for every environmentally harmful product - this also applies to filling and padding material.

Here I present five substitute products which, due to their special properties, are ideal as filling materials and alternatives for conventional Bubble wrap, bubble cushion, styrofoam, packing chips, stretch film or PE Foam film suitable.

1. packing chips from corn

If you want to protect your goods during shipping, packaging chips made from corn are a good, ecological alternative that also protects the contents of the box and the environment. The chips are made exclusively from made from corn starch and water and are therefore 100 percent compostable.

Of course, you don't have to compromise on quality: The packaging chips have the typical 8 or S shape, which makes them interlock with each other and form a stable cushion. Due to their low weight, they are also easy on the wallet, as there are generally no higher postage costs. They also have the same properties as polystyrene alternatives - they are dimensionally stable, flexible, impact-resistant, antistatic, odorless, dust-free and reusable.

The recipient can then simply remove the packaging chips from the packaging. dispose of them in the compost or organic waste garbage can if he or she does not want to continue using them. As you can see, packaging chips made from corn starch have no disadvantages for you and enable sustainable shipping!

You can order corn packaging chips here*

2. wood wool

I can also recommend wood wool for cushioning fragile objects. It will from debarked, dried trees and can be easily composted after use. The thin shavings are particularly Flexible, yet resistant enough to securely protect shipped goods.

In addition, wood wool is often used as decorative upholstery material used: An expensive wine bottle or a fine piece of jewelry embedded in wood wool looks elegant and stylish - and enhances the product visually.

You can order wood wool as packing material here*

3. hemp fleece

An interesting alternative, especially for shipments where temperature plays a role, is hemp fleece. The useful plant hemp has similar heat conduction properties to polystyrene, which is often used for thermal shipments. It keeps cold goods cool (in combination with dry ice even at -18° Celsius) and warm products warm.

This makes hemp fleece ideal for the Transport from Medication, sensitive Electrical goodsbut of course also from Food. It can also be disposed of in the organic waste. Or the filling material can find a new home in the rabbit hutch, for example. Either way, hemp fleece is an extremely sustainable filling material for parcels.

You can order versatile hemp mats here*

4. wrapping paper from waste paper

Schrenzpapier is a technical term from the mail order business and refers to wrapping paper made from unsorted waste paper. It is particularly cost-effective and is usually also offered on rolls. By generously crumpling the packing paper, you can also quickly fill larger voids in your parcel in an environmentally friendly way, keeping your goods in place in the box. A simple but extremely sustainable filling material for parcels.

You can order rolls of Schrenzpapier here*

5. carton

Cardboard may not look quite as attractive, but it is particularly robust. It has the same cushioning properties like bubble wrap but is made from waste paper and can be recycled with paper waste.

There is a wide range on offer: you can get it as Roll corrugated boardto safely protect large or heavy goods from impact, shredded corrugated cardboardwhich, like wood wool, is particularly suitable for sensitive products or Cardboard netswith which you can wrap your goods. Cardboard is also offered as a filling material in various thicknesses.

Cardboard nets you get here*

Sustainable filling material for parcels protects the environment and your wallet

Ecological padding in shipping boxes doesn't have to be more expensive! Depending on which sustainable alternative you choose, the costs are not necessarily higher than for the polystyrene or plastic version.

Of course, your personal preferences also play a role here. Corrugated cardboard or paper made from recycled paper are very inexpensive, but less visually appealing due to their typical grey color. Wood wool is a decorative packaging material, but the prices are also somewhat higher.

Also bear in mind that the filling material together with the shipping carton is the first thing recipients get to see. Any higher prices can therefore be quickly put into perspective if you can strengthen customer loyalty through your sustainable actions.

One more important tip on the side: You should Buy packaging, that fit your show! This means you need less padding material. So if you choose boxes that are only slightly larger than the product, you can still save money despite investing in sustainable filling materials.

Tip: If you would prefer not to spend any money at all on filling material for private shipping, then simply collect old newspapers and use the newsprint to pad out your parcels. They serve their purpose just as well as filling material.

These new ecological innovations could revolutionize the packaging industry

Sustainability is the central issue of our generation. That is why there are constantly new developments to make our Making life more ecological. Of course, this also applies to the packaging trade.

One innovation, for example, is the insulation of food in the shipping department with (but not vegan) virgin sheep's wool. The Sheep wool has very good insulating properties and also has a heat-regulating effect. This makes it particularly suitable for shipping goods that need to be cooled. As a natural product, it can then be disposed of in the household compost. (Hemp fleece is a suitable, vegan counterpart).

We have reusable shipping containers to thank for another development. These are very stable and sturdy Plastic boxeswhich can be used up to 1000 times. The special feature: Filling material is no longer necessary here, as the goods can be secured inside with special holders and are thus protected against knocks.

Similar to wood wool Straw used as upholstery and filling material. Another innovation from New York is Fungal tissuethat grows into any desired shape and could therefore become interesting for shipping.

Frequently asked questions about filling material for parcels answered

Sustainable filling material for parcels is the future!

With the switch to ecological materials, you not only protect your goods, but also protect the natural resources the earth. When choosing your filling material, think not only about how the packaging material is produced, but also how it will be disposed of later.

As you can see, sending parcels sustainably doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. It doesn't matter whether you look for filling material for boxes every day or just once in a while - because every piece of plastic or polystyrene you save helps the environment. So let's get to work and pack our parcels sustainably!

I hope that I have been able to help you with this article on sustainable filling material for parcels and boxes. Do you have any questions, suggestions or further tips? Then I look forward to your comment!

Stay sustainable,

PS.: Nowadays, people mainly send orders from the Internet in parcels. How you as a consumer Store online as sustainably as possible you can now find out in the linked article.