4 Easy Sustainable Packaging Swaps For Christmas
There are plenty of ways to go green with your packaging this Christmas. With a few small tweaks, it's easy to reap the benefits. Simply follow these 4 easy steps.
1. Buy In Bulk
There are lots of Christmas gift packaging products you can buy in bulk. Wicker hamper baskets, gift boxes, and gift trays provide the best value when purchased in this way, along with any other gift packaging supplies you regularly use to create your seasonal hamper gifts like ribbon, void fill, and transit boxes.
Bulk buying is not only more economical, saving you up to 20% off wholesale prices; it's also more eco-friendly. We'll explain why.
First and foremost there will be fewer trips to your door by our couriers, and if you're collecting your order from us it's less time on the road for you too. With less trips you're helping us to reduce CO2 emissions and our carbon footprint.
Secondly, the volume discounts we offer are based on the carton, box, and pallet quantities, which allows us to ship these orders more efficiently. In addition to not needing to be repackaged (saving time and waste), the boxes are filled to their full capacity, so we ship less air. We can also help the couriers optimise the space in their van if we give them standardised parcels that are easier to stack reducing the number of vans needed.
If storeroom space is limited you can place a call-off order and request stock to be dispatched from our warehouse when you need it. Admittedly this isn't the greenest option but it does mean you can tick Christmas gifting off the list and rest assured everything will arrive when you need it.
2. Say No To Single-Use Packaging
Can you believe we throw away an estimated 227,000 miles of wrapping paper each Christmas? That's more than nine times around the Earth! Not all wrapping paper can be tossed in the recycling bin. Paper covered in Sellotape, glitter, and foil will invariably end up in landfill.
Offering eco-friendly hamper gifts packed in reusable gift packaging that will last long beyond the festive season is one way your business can help reduce packaging waste this Christmas.
Wicker Christmas hampers double as the perfect summer picnic basket or work perfectly for storage around the home, while our range of cardboard trays and gift boxes are made from recyclable materials and are fully recyclable after use.
Take a look at our Sustainability page to find out more about the lengths we go to make sure our products are as green as possible. From the materials we choose to how they are shipped. It's all part of our pledge to the planet and it's something we take a lot of pride in.
Offering gift wrapping services in-store is another way to help customers and there are plenty of recyclable options to choose from here too. Select from our brown kraft paper or tissue paper and embellish with rustic jute rope or luxury ribbon. Don't forget our recycled shredded paper or wood wool to protect products packed inside hampers. Now that's the kind of single-use packaging we love, the recyclable, plastic-free kind!
3. Use The Correct Size Transit Boxes
Extending your eco-friendly efforts to outer packaging gets you closer to your sustainability goals this Christmas and can also help you boost customer loyalty. If you've ever received a Christmas purchase drowning in an oversized box, you'd have experienced first-hand the bugbear that many customers have with shopping online - unnecessary waste! You should avoid this kind of unboxing experience since it can be pretty off-putting and reflect poorly on your brand.
Reducing packaging materials and minimising waste are two significant components of sustainable packaging. Using the right size transit boxes you will use less cardboard and won't require excessive padding or void fill, if any.
If you're shipping one of our wicker hampers or card hamper boxes there's a corresponding cardboard transit box for each size. These boxes are designed to fit our gift packaging snugly to safely and efficiently ship your orders. Compared to single-wall, double-wall cardboard boxes provide twice the protection and strength and can be counted on to keep your hampers safe. The transit boxes are designed to be only slightly larger than our wicker and cardboard hampers, so there are no voids to fill.
By switching from huge boxes to the proper size transit packaging, your business can also save money. Shipping costs are still heavily influenced by the size of your parcels, so keeping the footprint as small as possible and this will help reduce your outbound shipping costs.
4. Switch To Paper Tape & Void Fill
Sealing your Christmas orders with paper tape instead of plastic tape is one of the easiest sustainable packaging swaps you can make. Self-adhesive kraft paper eco tape creates a solid, secure seal. It is also 100% recyclable, so you don't have to take it off boxes before recycling. This makes it much easier for your customers to recycle at home. You can also use it in a standard tape gun, so it's a win-win!
You've just read how important it is to select the correct size transit box for hampers. However, you may occasionally have to pack multiple items or awkwardly shaped items that leave void space in your box. When this is unavoidable, opting for recyclable protective paper packaging, such as Packing Paper Dispenser, is a far more sustainable choice than polystyrene packing peanuts with a higher environmental impact.
A paper dispenser ensures eco-friendly packaging without complicating things. In each handy box you'll find the equivalent of 1.5 cubic metres of void fill. The paper void fill is made from 100% recycled paper and 100% recyclable, again helping to reduce your environmental impact.
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