Using Environmentally Friendly Shipping Supplies

Although they all have an environmental impact, some shipping supplies and containers are more environmentally friendly than others. Supplies which are safer for the environment are not very hard to find, and some of them are less expensive as well. Here are some suggestions on how to find and acquire more environmentally friendly supplies to ship your items with...

PADDING: If possible, it is most environmentally friendly (and less expensive) to reuse materials as padding supplies rather than buying them new. Some household items which can be reused for this purpose include plastic shopping bags, newspapers (be careful of using large quantities, due to weight), and plastic wrapping from grocery items. If you need to purchase environmentally friendly padding supplies, consider using recycled kraft paper roll/sheets (available at Staples, Office Depot, eBay.com) or bubble wrap which has already been used but is in good condition (search for "recycled bubble wrap" on eBay.com). Avoid using padding materials which are difficult or impossible for the recipient to reuse.

CONTAINERS: As with padding supplies, try to find already-used shipping containers which are still in good enough condition. It is quite possible to find used boxes for free in most areas (article: free boxes). Unless they have already been mailed previously, padded envelopes generally aren't as environmentally friendly as using small boxes, because they are less likely to be reused by the recipient. Many office supply stores offer partially-recycled padded shipping envelopes. Although more durable, new poly mailers usually contain less than twenty-five percent recycled material. According to USPS.com, free Priority Mail and Express Mail shipping boxes are manufactured using environmentally friendly methods and entirely recyclable.