At Cotton & Olive, we are proud to do our part, however small, to help protect the environment.
We created a plastic-free packaging option for customers to opt-into. There was a growing need to take action on this matter but it wasn’t an easy task.
Firstly, we had to source the right recyclable and reusable material to replace the plastic polybag and mailing bags used in the past. Single use plastic bags are not the most beautiful packaging products, they even look distasteful. But, they are the insurance policy to protect the product against damp, dirt and dust. These bags enabled us to consistently deliver our products to customers in pristine condition every time.
How customers always make a difference.
An email request from one of our customers helped speed-up the process of going plastic free.
Our customer was very happy with the product she received but, she did not like the plastic packaging. This customer asked me to dispatch her second order wrapped in brown craft paper and tied together with twine.
During our communication, I mentioned that her parcel may be damaged in transit, as it is not as protected but she was more than happy to accept this fact. I therefore processed the order as directed and made my promise to act on this long overdue task to make it a Cotton & Olive standard packaging procedure. Two months after our customer’s kind request, we started our plastic-free packaging option.
How we implemented plastic-free shipping.
We decided to replace the plastic single use polybags with acid-free tissue paper to protect the product against dust and dirt. The white tissue paper gives a presentable look to the product even though it does not protect the content against damp.
We also discovered the wonderfully-functional and fully-compostable eco-paper tape made with 100% brown recyclable paper to replace regular Sellotape. It is not only biodegradable, it is also vegan-friendly. The brownish colour of the tape reminds me the first-aid plaster but after all its goodness, this is just a minor issue. In time, I may find the white version of the tape, but will only use it if the whitening process doesn’t involve a process which is environmentally damaging.
So all of our plastic free orders are now wrapped with tissue paper, securely taped with the paper tape and placed into the recycled card-box which is a replacement of the mailing bags used in the past. And finally the card-box is wrapped in brown Kraft paper as another layer of protection.
Voila! We are ready to dispatch your order to you!
Whilst going through this process, I have learned a lot and gained a firmer resolve to re-use everyday items where possible and reinvent other ways of using them.
In this spirit, I would like to appeal to our customers to reuse the card boxes and brown paper for another purpose. Let’s spread the love to re-use and reduce!
