That’s a wrap!
Small business owners share their journey towards eco-friendly packaging.
Jenny from Honey Golden Collective | Calgary, Canada
“When creating this brand, I took all of my core values and implemented them. One of those was packaging, believe it or not. I absolutely love it when I get a package, and it is like a present where so much thought and detail has been put into it. I spent much time designing my packaging, ensuring that it adequately represented my brand – making sure all the design elements aligned and that when a customer received a package, they could feel the love that when into creating it. All of the packaging is eco-friendly, with no plastic, and it is all paper-based. When a package arrives with lots of plastic, I feel it is a waste, and we can do so much better than that. I want to keep working towards this goal and know I can still do better. I have a collection planned later next year that is using dead-stock and factory waste fabric. I'm very excited about this line, and it is something I have wanted to do from the beginning.”
Brittanee from Pretty Wild Fibers | Colorado, US
“Nearly all of my packaging is plastic-free! Occasionally when I mail out round weaves, I use plastic mailers because they would require a very odd shaped box. But being eco-conscious is absolutely something I strive for. I try to reuse plastic mailers and boxes as much as I can and only purchase those longer tube-shaped boxes I need for larger wall hangings. I even go as far as to reuse tissue paper from my own personal purchases! It’s nice that my customers don’t seem to mind receiving their orders in recycled packaging – I think ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ is something most all of us are getting on board with! Still, I like to wrap my reused boxes with brown paper just to hide any printed names, logos, writing or old labels, and to give it my own personal touch. And I like to think people enjoy the act of unwrapping things as much as I do. It’s like Christmas!”
Emily from Miss Wax Co. | Auckland, New Zealand
For Emily at Miss Wax Co., plastic-free packaging was a goal since the very beginning. “All I was using was plastic tape which, luckily for me, meant that was the only swap I needed to make!” says Emily.
While sourcing eco-friendly packaging materials “has definitely slowed things down” with eco-friendly options always being more costly, Emily believes that “you can’t put a price on trying to do your bit to save the planet!” Miss Wax Co. customers also have the choice of returning their used candle jar to be reused on their next purchase. How cool is that?
Joy from With Joy and Sunshine | Ontario, Canada
As a new business owner, Joy is doing more research into how she can make her packaging more eco-friendly in a cost-effective way. “I wish I had everything plastic-free. My small items, like keychains are packaged with plastic,” Joy explains. “I’m trying to find a packaging that is transparent and eco-friendly, but it’s challenging and will possibly cost more. Trying to balance kids, home, this little business and everything else is a lot of work but I am truly grateful to have found my passion. Taking it one at a time. I still have more to learn – it is a long journey and this is just a beginning for me.”
