Eco-Friendly Packaging Choices For Your Business

At Reclaimed Maine Co. we are committed to the most sustainable packaging. This means that all of our shipping supplies are recycled, recyclable, reusable, or naturally biodegradable - to ensure we are proud of how we ship. Making eco-friendly choices when packaging is as easy as this or that, and can be done at no additional cost - just a little extra research. We'll walk through some of our favorite products and where to find them.

100% Recycled Poly Mailers

If you run an e-commerce apparel business, you may be prone to poly mailers for your soft goods. Good news - there are a number of options now for a more eco-friendly alternative, with the same lightweight, flexible and waterproof benefits.

• My go-to: noissue 100% Recycled Poly Mailers - made from 100% recycled plastics. Let your customers know that their packaging is sustainable as soon as they receive it.  Made with a second adhesive strip so that the mailer can be used more than once, it can then be recycled where soft plastics are accepted! The green color was perfect for my brand, but they also offer a 100% Compostable Option in Black and a 50% Recycled Option in Grey. For more customizable and pre-designed options, visit noissue.
• For a more neutral palette, I've used EcoEnclose's 100% Recycled Poly Mailers. Available in light ivory and grey, these poly-mailers are made from 100% recycled content, with 50% post-consumer waste content. Perfect if you want to add your own branded touch with recycled stickers - which can also be customized and purchased from EcoEnclose.
• If you prefer the rustic look of kraft, consider EcoEnclose's 100% Recycled Kraft Packaging. These mailers aren't quite as waterproof, but are lightweight, affordable, and naturally biodegradable. They are 90% post-consumer content and are curbside recyclable and compostable.

Compostable Packaging

Compostable materials are made from plant-based materials (PLA), such as corn, sugar cane or bamboo, and have the ability to naturally decompose into over time. Compared to typical plastic, which stays in landfills for centuries, eco-friendly compostable bags will break down over time and therefore reduces our impact on the planet. 

• We use Clear Bags Eco-friendly compostable bags for all of our sticker and greeting card sleeves. This pairs nicely with our sticker inserts, which are home printed on 100% Post Consumer Recycled Paper. 
• As I mentioned previously, noissue also offers a 100% Compostable Poly Mailer, created from a combination of PBAT, a biodegradable and compostable polymer, and PLA, which is made from plant-based resources like corn and wheat straw.  This mailer will break down in a home compost in 180 days, or in a commercial compost in 90 days. 

Corrugated Cardboard

You may be thinking - boxes - such a standard option, but how does that fit into our sustainability story? The great thing about using corrugated boxes, is that the corrugated fiber can be recycled up to 25 times. That means that most boxes are composed of 70% to 100% recycled materials, and can be easily recycled again curbside. It is also biodegradable, and will naturally absorbed back into the environment, if it isn't being reused or recycled again. 

Recycled Hang Tags & Cards

Back to our friends at noissue & Eco Enclose - they have all you need for your eco-friendly apparel hang tags and packaging inserts. 

• We've recently upgraded our cards to noissue's 100% Custom Printed Cards. Customize to fit your branding needs. Choose from 100% Recycled Paper or a recycled FSC Mix. noissue Cards are printed with soy-based inks, water-based inks, or non-toxic HP Indigo ElectroInk on materials certified by the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC). Unlike most cards, they are printed without the silicone/plastic coating to keep them 100% compostable and recyclable.
• Depending on the size and shape you are looking for, noissue and EcoEnclose both provide great options for sustainable hangtags. We chose EcoEnclose, made with 100% recycled, 100% post-consumer waste. They are FSC Certified, Green Seal Certified and Processed Chlorine Free. The white paper itself is made in the USA, is recyclable, naturally biodegradable, and compostable. You can't go wrong!

Newspaper & Reused Materials

If you are fortunate to live somewhere that delivers a newspaper, you have access to one of the best eco-friendly packaging options around - at a pretty great cost (FREE!) Newspaper is an amazing packing material, perfect for safely wrapping fragile goods or crumpled to take up extra space. Even better, it is naturally biodegradable and can be safely composted at home because the fibers break down and the inks are non-toxic. Reusing newspapers as well as other packaging materials you may have received in the mail is a great way to continue to keep them out of the landfill. I specifically ordered a stamp that calls out the fact that the box was packaged with recycled materials, and it's a great way to ask the consumer to reuse or recycle the materials as well.