How do you solve the Plastics Problem? You have to make a commitment!
Over the past few months, we have ‘doubled down’ on finding better ways to package the Windsocks & Accessories that we post.
It’s a journey, but we have made some progress.
We use to package all of our Windsocks in black plastic shrink wrap, and we thought it was great until we really thought about it! Packaging like this undoubtedly is contributing to the plastics problem. For a start, it is not sustainable as it can’t be reused and probably can’t be recycled either.
So here is where we are at!
Small and Medium Size Packages – 100% Plastics Free and Cheaper!
Completely plastic-free! We found some great mailers at Australia Post in the form of various sizes of Tough Bags. These are made out of tough paper and have plenty of space to pack even multiple medium-sized Windsocks. We fasten these with Kraft paper packing tape – which actually works better than plastic tape. Where we used to use bubble wrap for our accessories, we now use corrugated paper wrap!
The Tough Bags are reusable and everything is 100% fully recyclable. The unintended consequence was that we found it actually saved us time and money.
Simply inserting products into a Tough Bag, rather than multiple wrappings with shrink wrap takes about 1/10 of the time! In addition, because we are now posting in a uniform size bag we fall into cheaper postage size categories and even some Flat Rate Australia-wide deals where we are able to control the shipping weight.
Large Size Packages – Reusable, Home Compostable Mailers
Completely plastic-free! We were really inspired by Hero Packaging’s reusable and compostable mailers and their stance on all matters plastic. We are currently trialling their XXL Mailers and they look good and are working out great. Available as a very large size mailer (which is difficult to find). They are also tough and because of their uniform size (compared to our shrink wrap days) we are also able to control our shipping costs better.
Extra Large Size Packages – Cardboard Boxes but not really viable
Again, Completely plastic-free, but work still to do! We need an ~ 1000mmx1000mmx60m mailer for our large footprint 3650x900x225mm CASA Windsocks. We couldn’t find any mailers anywhere need this size, so we went to cardboard boxes.
These work well and look good, but they end up being quite bulky, and hard to handle. They are also heavier and with their bulk, need to go via special courier rather than Australia Post.
We continue to search!
Our Scorecard – 7/10
Based on where we started, we are giving ourselves a 7 out of 10 for now. The commitment we started will continue as it has already delivered:
- the end of all substantial plastics in our packaging process
- the move to reusable packaging
- the move to nearly 100% recyclable materials
- lower costs with fixed size and sometimes fixed-rate shipping
- higher packing costs in general compared to cling wrap, but offset with shipping savings
- time savings in our packaging processes
Our thanks again to Hero Packaging for inspiration in this journey.