Zero waste packaging: mailing bags to fragile shipments

As e-commerce and online selling continue to grow, so does the amount of packaging waste produced every day. From mailing bags and cardboard boxes to bubble wrap and plastic fillers, packaging can quickly become an environmental burden.

Zero-waste packaging offers practical, sustainable alternatives for everything from everyday mailers to fragile shipments.

This eco-friendly mailing bag is made from sugar cane, which actually captures more carbon than it does to make.

Reusable organic cotton envelopes

If you use internal mail (or send mail to the same people again and again), it’s worth investing in Australia’s Lopees. This one-time purchase sends organic cotton reusable envelopes (including book bags) that you can use forever.

Don’t send ‘plantable cards’ to homes with pets, as many grow into toxic wildflowers). And most are not native either. 

Flexi-hex packaging for fragile items

Fragile products present a bigger challenge. Glassware, ceramics, electronics, artwork, and other delicate items need cushioning and protection during transportation. However, protecting a product doesn’t have to mean filling a box with plastic bubble wrap.

Flexi-Hex uses a hexagonal design, made with 85% recycled cardboard and water adhesives. Sold both retail and wholesale, it fits bottles to spectacles, there are even versions to send surfboards! This company is DPD-approved.

Choosing the right size matters

One of the simplest ways to reduce packaging waste is to choose the right-sized packaging. Oversized boxes require more cardboard and usually need additional filling material to prevent the contents from moving around.

Kiriboard (invented by three New York teenagers)

Kiriboard is an exciting alternative to plastic-free packaging, invented by three New York teenagers! Inspired by the Japanese art of folding paper, they created it, when a box of motors for their robotics hobby arrived damaged.

There’s something wonderful about three nerdy teenage boys inventing something to make their hobby work, which could save the planet! This invention has won the Earth Prize 2025 (there are lots more amazing inventions), and there is hope that the new packaging could be used by Amazon, Home Depot and the postal service, to replace the colossal amount of plastic being used for commercial purposes.

Kiriboard is cut into lattice-like shape (just like an apple pie topping) so it can bend to fill the space between an item, to absorb impact and protect just like bubble wrap but without plastic. Using recycled  cardboard is biodegradable, whereas plastic is made from oil (so supports the fossil fuel industry and takes over 500 years to biodegrade, releasing microplastics into seas and rivers).

Vela Eco (paper alternative to plastic polybags)

Vela is the zero waste alternative to plastic polybags, which are used so much in industry, that around 100 billion end up being thrown away each year worldwide. Often ending up in our oceans.

Responsibly-sourced and easy to recycle, these are ideal for packaging anything in offices to shops, especially clothing (say socks, pants, shirts etc).

Expect a shelf life of around a year, after purchase. There are versions designed for easy scanning in shops, if necessary. They can also be resealed up to five times, while maintaining the same strength.

• Sleeves (ideal for ties, the sleeves can be as a continuous tube or perforated, depending on how many ties you are selling!)
• Bags (ideal for clothing like shirts)
• Covers (ideal for dresses or dry-cleaners)

These can add QR codes and be branded.

Protect what’s inside – but also protect what’s beyond. Vela

Where to recycle plastic bubble wrap

You can recycle bubble wrap (LDPE) at supermarket bag recycling bins. For a big office clear-out, order a Terracycle shipping materials box (costs £100 to £400 depending on size).

Towns and villages can split the cost, to get all plastic supplies out of town for good, never to return. Just order a box, fill up at a drop-off point and send back using the prepaid shipping label. Items are made into things like industrial piping and park benches.

You can use the box to recycle plastic mailers along with bubble/stretch wrap, packing foam, plastic tape dispensers, shipping peanuts and deflated air cushions. You can’t recycle padded envelopes, laminated paper or hazardous waste.