Throughout September, we will be talking about what we’re doing to try and make fulfilment as sustainable as possible, as well as highlighting some of the amazing partners we work with to provide our customers with sustainable business solutions. Today, we’re outlining Huboo’s sustainable packaging policy, our eco options, and features information from DS Smith on sustainable custom packaging and a circular approach to packaging.
Is there anything more annoying than ordering something online, just for it to come in a giant box, which is 80% filler packing, and 20% the thing you bought? It does our head in. Which is why it has been Huboo policy, from the very start, to use the smallest box, and the least packaging possible to get our clients items to the consumer. It’s so important to us, we include it in the training for all our new Hub Managers, and it’s one of the things our Quality Assurance team checks for.
In a world where unboxing is content, entertainment, and a consumer experience, many of our clients are opting for packaging that reflects their brand. For some, that means cute messages, add ons, and funky tissue paper, our eco brands use it as an opportunity to adopt completely sustainable products for all their packaging. All Huboo customers have the option to opt in for eco packaging, which includes eco packing peanuts, paper voids, recyclable boxes, paper tape, and an innovative paper protective packaging for bottles.
In terms of sustainable custom packaging, we’re lucky to partner with a leader in the sector. DS Smith have carried out extensive research into consumer sustainability wants, how the current market meets those wants, and have taken significant steps to produce custom packaging that meets the needs of both sellers, and an ever more eco conscious consumer market. When asked ‘what sustainability meant to them’ this is what the DS Smith team said:
Over two thirds of consumers will pay extra for sustainable offerings, rising to 3 in 4 for millennials. Furthermore, sustainable packaging has been shown to be an influential purchasing driver.
As a business owner, it is always tempting to reduce costs wherever possible. But when you align your values with those of your customers, you can foster deeper connections and brand loyalty which generate returns far in excess of the initial outlay. You can set your company apart from competitors by choosing environmentally friendly packaging materials and letting your customers know why it’s important to you.
At DS Smith we have launched our Circular Design Principles to help companies evolve to meet the needs of the public. By introducing this set of principles, we can design for recyclability, design out waste and pollution, create packaging suited to a circular economy and make it easier to help consumers recycle more.
DS Smith’s five Circular Design Principles are:
1. We protect brands and products – Designers must always ensure that packaging successfully protects its product. Damaged products from poor packaging have an economic and environmental impact.
2. We use no more materials than necessary – Optimised use of packaging materials saves resources and reduces waste.
3. We design for supply cycle efficiency – Our designers drive efficiency by changing the layout of products within boxes for stacking in delivery vehicles.
4. We keep packaging materials in use – We eliminate waste by keeping packaging products in use for as long as possible.
5. We find a better way – We empower our designers to challenge the status quo and support customers in the drive for a circular economy.
For DS Smith ePack, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Not only have we removed all plastic packaging from our website, we have innovated plastic free alternatives such as our paper packing tape, plastic free bubble wrap or the highly popular SizzlePak©. All our fibre-based packaging materials are fully recyclable and made from recycled materials.
