This year, climate change has just gone right back to the top of the agenda for a lot of people, so it feels like a good time to push on the plastic free & 100% recyclable packaging for Only Nice Things. You hear a lot of companies saying this but there is a lot more to it than either of us first thought.
Firstly going plastic free is much easier said than done, you would think sending things out in cardboard boxes using packing paper and you’ve got it done. Well what about the tape? Are the stickers you use bio-degradable? Even is the cardboard box plastic free?
To be fair it was a bit of a minefield but in the end we have decided to use brown card boxes which are 100% made from recycled card, and can be reused or recycled. Instead of polystyrene we use wood wool and packing paper to pack round delicate items. And after a bit of research we even have 100% recyclable paper tape and stickers. We only use unbleached tissue paper, or brown paper bags for wrapping. So, yes, everything we buy is 100% plastic free and recyclable, with as little environmental impact as we can manage.
The only problem that leaves you with is what about everything and everyone that isn’t doing the same? If you are anything like us you will be getting parcels delivered almost every day. Some in nice cardboard boxes some not, and no doubt we’ve all had a sea of bubble wrap over the last couple of months. Now what do you do? Just take it all to the tip? Or should you re-use? I know we say we are plastic free but which is worse sending everything we get to landfill or extending the life and reusing. We take the view that we should reuse everything possible.
Something that we found handy when we started was looking at the zero waste groups on Facebook, we are now members of several local to us. So if anyone has any packaging material that is going to be thrown out we just put your hand up for them and collect when we're next passing (no special journeys otherwise that defeats the object).
So don’t be offended if your order arrives with bubble wrap or foam. I can assure you it is on at least its second time round, but will be clean and usable. If you can use it again then all the better.