Beginner’s Guide to Sustainable Shipping for Your E-Commerce Business

Are you thinking about switching to sustainable packaging for your e-commerce company? Great decision! But where do you start?

We created this intro guide to sustainable shipping to help you learn:

• Why are sustainable packing materials so popular right now
• Three of the most essential sustainable packing supplies for e-commerce
• Manual and automated dispensing options for sustainable packaging

One of the best things about sustainable shipping is that it can grow as your business does. Ready to find out more?

Why Sustainable Shipping?

Good for the Environment

When most people hear “sustainable shipping materials,” they first think “eco-friendly.” And they’re not wrong. Sustainable packaging is much better for the planet than most traditional alternatives, such as plastic bubble wrap and foam packing peanuts.

First, let’s review what makes shipping supplies sustainable. They must be:

• Curbside recyclable and/or compostable
• Manufactured with a low impact on the earth
• Not harmful or toxic to touch or inhale

Most plastic and foam packing material in use today, however, does not meet any of those criteria. These materials are generally not curbside recyclable with regular refuse pickup. So they wind up in landfills, where they take decades or even centuries to decompose.

Better for Human Health

Decomposing plastic can produce microplastics—tiny beads of plastic that pollute land and water. Not only are microplastics harmful to wildlife and the food chain, but they are also associated with a wide range of human health problems.

Microplastics are contaminating drinking water, rainwater, and snow. When absorbed in the body, they are linked to everything from cardiovascular disease to cancer.

Many non-sustainable packing materials are not safe for long-term exposure before they decompose. Do you or your customers really want to be exposed to these chemicals regularly? Paper-based packaging is safer and offers other benefits, listed below.

Reduced Returns for Damage

If you pick the right sustainable packaging, you can actually enjoy better protection of fragile items in transit. This is essential for e-commerce vendors, especially those who sell one-of-a-kind items, like artwork.

But whether you sell cosmetics, electronics, or jewelry, you want them well protected during shipping. A high return rate cuts into your profit margin, no matter what size business you run.

Top-performing sustainable packaging uses slit-paper technology and a honeycomb structure to provide better cushioning of items. You can avoid the extra cost of returns and exchanges while making your customers happier, too. Satisfied customers, in turn, lead to more repeat business, better online reviews, and an increase in new buyers.

Lower Shipping Costs

Using sustainable shipping materials can help you reduce your shipping costs. Instead of using an excess of other supplies to hedge your bets against breakage, you can use less, knowing your merchandise is properly protected.

When you use less product wrap and void fill, your packages weigh less, so you pay less. Even better, kraft paper sustainable packaging tends to be lighter weight to start with. Paying for dimensional shipping or using oversized boxes to send goods? Why not switch to a sustainable protective mailer to reduce size and freight spend?

Meet Customer Demand

Today, customers are becoming increasingly vocal about sustainable packaging. Recent studies show that customers are more likely to shop with companies that use sustainable shipping materials. And they are even willing to pay more for sustainability. This is particularly true of younger demographics, but the move towards earth-friendly packaging has no age limits.

In response to this demand and health concerns, many states are enacting stricter packaging laws. The goal is to phase out single-use packaging and eventually require sustainable packaging materials. Do you ship overseas? The European Union and many nations in Oceania and Asia are doing the same thing.

Improve the Unboxing Experience

Speaking of customer demand, making packages attractive and easy to open is key to the ultimate unboxing experience. And these influencer unboxing sessions are often shared on social media as videos, where thousands of followers watch along.

If presentation is important for your business—such as with subscription boxes and beauty products—sustainable packaging can improve the experience. Everything looks attractive and natural with no static-y plastic or peanuts to ruin first impressions. And both recipients and viewers know that your company values sustainability, helping you capture the market that prefers eco-friendly e-commerce.

3 Top Sustainable Packaging Products for E-Commerce

Product Wrap

Protecting valuable merchandise with sustainable packaging before shipping often starts with a layer of product wrap. This material is designed to protect breakable items such as ceramics and glass. It also prevents wear and scratches from items rubbing together.

Look for product wrap with the same slit-paper innovation mentioned above. It becomes a three-dimensional wrap once activated, providing superior protection for fragile items. The structure of the honeycomb product wrap also means the wrap interacts with itself to stay put—no tape or adhesives needed.

Void Fill

Void fill is the next step in your packing process. This is used to fill gaps in a shipping box to prevent loose items from shifting.

Using void fill around merchandise also creates a buffer between your items and the outer box walls. This helps with impact absorption if the box is dropped or tossed.

Protective Mailers

As suggested earlier, protective mailers are a terrific way to cut shipping costs if you’ve been using boxes. In many cases, you probably don’t need a box to send tiny items like jewelry, makeup, or single small clothing items.

You can save on void fill, too, when you choose a paper cushioned envelope. You get better performance than with plastic bubble-lined mailers. And of course they’re completely recyclable too.

Dispensing Sustainable Shipping Supplies

You have many options for dispensing sustainable void fill and product wrap. Manual dispensing is ideal for:

• Small home businesses
• Art fairs and events
• Spaces without electricity
• Pop-up stores and kiosks

Whether you want a void fill in a box or a mini packing station for your product wrap, you can use manual dispensers virtually anywhere. And they require no training, which makes them easy for seasonal and temporary workers to use.

Automated dispensing gives you a consistent amount of void fill every time. You set the machine's volume and frequency. This dispensing method is great for high-volume packing scenarios. It helps ensure that neither too much nor too little cushioning is used.

These machines require electricity, but they’re also easy to move, as they’re on wheels. Vertically oriented automated dispensers take up a very small footprint, so they’re usable even in tight packing areas. In fact, all of the sustainable dispensers and materials mentioned above can fit into small spaces where you have limited room for packing supplies.

HexcelPack Will Customize Your Switch to Sustainable Shipping Materials

HexcelPack offers an entire suite of sustainable packaging products, including void fill, product wrap, and protective mailers. We know every e-commerce business has unique needs, so we can tailor packing solutions and dispensing methods to your requirements. And if you’re a larger company, we also have sustainable pallet wrap and wood-free crating.

We also recognized that many startup e-commerce companies don’t need to buy shipping supplies in bulk. That’s why we offer small minimum order quantities (MOQs) via our online store or through our sales team.

Ready to learn more or make the change to sustainable packaging? Reach out today to start the conversation.