One of the simplest ways to make your packaging more sustainable is to look at what you're already using. Start with the packaging you ship most frequently and see where you could reduce material use, increase recycled content, or improve recyclability.

Ask:

• Is the package larger than it needs to be?

• Does it contain new material where recycled content is available?

• Can customers realistically recycle it?

• Are you using plastic simply because that’s what you’ve always ordered?

Those questions can reveal meaningful opportunities before you ever consider a major redesign.

Our sustainable packaging framework prioritizes moves like reducing unnecessary material, maximizing recycled content, and designing packaging for circularity. The goal isn’t packaging perfection overnight. It’s finding practical improvements you can actually put into practice.

Source: Unsplash

A product that measures 8 inches across probably doesn’t need to travel in a box that could hold something twice its size. Oversized packaging means more material in the outer package and often more paper, air pillows, or other void fill inside.

Right-sizing means getting the package close enough to the product to protect it without shipping a lot of empty space.

Look for a few obvious patterns:

• Boxes that routinely require large amounts of void fill

• Mailers with several unnecessary inches of length or width

• One large package being used for products with very different dimensions

• Pouches or inner packaging with more material than the product requires

You don’t need a unique package size for every SKU. That can create its own inventory headache. Instead, look for a small assortment of sizes that fits the majority of your order mix well.

Then test them at the packing station. A theoretically perfect box isn’t useful if it slows down fulfillment or becomes difficult to pack when a customer orders two items instead of one.

Less packaging is great. Packaging that works is essential.

Once you’ve reduced unnecessary material, look at what the remaining packaging is made from.

Ask two questions:

How much recycled content does this package contain?

And:

How much of that is post-consumer recycled content?

Post-consumer recycled content, or PCR, comes from material that has already been used, collected, recycled, and given another life. That’s different from post-industrial recycled content, which generally comes from scraps generated during manufacturing.

Both can reduce reliance on new raw materials. But post-consumer content is especially important because buying it creates demand for materials that have already moved through the recycling system.

That demand is a critical part of packaging circularity.

When you’re comparing two similar packaging options, ask for the percentage of recycled content and the percentage that comes specifically from post-consumer waste. A package simply labeled “recycled” doesn’t tell you enough.

Source: Unsplash

“Recyclable” sounds straightforward. In practice, it needs another question attached to it:

Recyclable where?

A package only has a useful recycling pathway if the material can enter a recycling stream that customers can reasonably access.

Paper and corrugated packaging often have an advantage because curbside paper recycling is widely understood and available in many communities. Some plastic films can be recyclable through thin-film collection streams, but those systems work differently from typical curbside programs.

When evaluating recyclability, consider:

• What recycling stream does this package belong in?

• Is that stream realistically available to your customers?

• Do coatings, labels, adhesives, windows, or mixed materials interfere with recycling?

• Can you give customers simple, accurate disposal instructions?

Mono-material packaging, meaning packaging primarily made from one material type, can make end-of-life simpler by reducing the need to separate different components. But mono-material doesn’t automatically mean recyclable. The material still needs a recycling pathway customers can realistically access.

Recyclability shouldn’t be evaluated in isolation, though. Look at the full package, including how much material is used, where it came from, how well it protects the product, and what happens after use.

If your brand wants to use less plastic, paper is often one of the first places to look. For example, a brand shipping apparel in a traditional poly mailer may be able to test a recycled kraft mailer instead. Plastic bubble wrap or void fill might be replaced with recycled packing paper. Some inner plastic bags can be replaced with paper-based bags or wraps.

When considering paper-based alternatives, prioritize options made with recycled content. Virgin paper also has an environmental footprint, so switching from plastic to paper isn't necessarily an improvement if the replacement relies on virgin materials.

These changes can be relatively straightforward because the basic job of the packaging stays the same. You’re still putting a product into a mailer, wrapping an item, or filling space inside a box. You’re changing the material rather than rebuilding the whole process.

But paper isn’t automatically the right answer for every shipment. A paper package still has to survive the trip. Products exposed to moisture, sharp edges, heavy handling, or other demanding shipping conditions may need different protection.

Test the alternative with your actual products before switching. Pack it the way your fulfillment team normally would, ship and handle it under realistic conditions, and see how it arrives. A sustainable package that leads to damaged products isn’t a meaningful improvement.

Custom poly mailer designed for Uncommon Goods. Source: EcoEnclose

Reducing new plastic doesn’t have to mean eliminating every piece of plastic from your packaging overnight. Instead, identify where virgin plastic is entering your packaging system and work through those applications one at a time.

You may be able to:

• Eliminate a plastic component that isn’t necessary

• Use a smaller or thinner package

• Replace a plastic format with a recycled paper option

• Keep the plastic format but move to a high-recycled-content version

Sometimes plastic has performance characteristics your product genuinely needs. If a poly mailer helps keep apparel dry and withstand rough shipping conditions, replacing it with a material that doesn’t perform may create other problems.

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to improve.

Recycled-content plastic can reduce reliance on new plastic while keeping a familiar packaging format and fulfillment process. Our poly mailers, for example, are made with 100% recycled content, including 50% post-consumer recycled material, and are designed for thin-film recycling where accepted.

That’s the mindset we like: less new plastic, without making packaging harder than it needs to be.

A supplier saying a package is “green,” “eco-friendly,” or “sustainable” shouldn’t be the end of the conversation. Ask for specifics.

Here are five questions that will tell you much more:

1. What percentage of the packaging is recycled content, and how much is post-consumer waste?
   A single recycled-content percentage can hide the difference between post-consumer material and manufacturing scrap. Ask for both.

2. How should my customer dispose of this package?
   The answer should be specific. Curbside paper recycling, thin-film recycling where accepted, or reuse are all clear pathways. Simply saying a package is "recyclable" isn't enough. If a supplier recommends compostable packaging, ask whether your customers have access to appropriate composting facilities. For ecommerce packaging, recycling is generally the preferred end-of-life option when it's realistically accessible.

3. What documentation supports your sustainability claims?
   Ask about certifications, scope certificates, material specifications, or other verification. Credible suppliers should be comfortable showing how they substantiate important claims.

4. Can you tell me what is actually in the package?
   Packaging isn’t always just the obvious primary material. Inks, adhesives, liners, coatings, and other components can matter.

5. Can you help me use less packaging, not just sell me a different package?
   This is the big one. A sustainability-focused supplier should be willing to discuss sizing, material reduction, recycled content, performance, and end-of-life instead of automatically recommending more packaging.

Better questions make supplier comparisons easier. Instead of comparing one vendor’s “eco mailer” with another vendor’s “sustainable mailer,” you can compare recycled content, post-consumer content, material weight, recyclability, performance, certifications, and cost.

Sustainable packaging doesn’t have to become a giant project. Pick one meaningful improvement. Right-size a box. Increase recycled content. Test a recycled paper mailer. Reduce new plastic. Make disposal instructions clearer. Then keep going.

At EcoEnclose, we help brands find packaging that fits their products, operations, brand, budget, and sustainability goals. We can help you compare materials, identify right-sizing opportunities, evaluate recycled-content levels and end-of-life pathways, test options, and make sure your sustainability claims are accurate and defensible.

Because the best packaging improvement isn’t the most complicated one. It’s the one that delivers a real sustainability win and actually works for your business.

Ready to make your next packaging move? Explore EcoEnclose’s custom sustainable packaging options or work with our team to find the right place to start.

Do I need to change all of my packaging suppliers to become more sustainable?

No. Start by finding out what your existing suppliers can offer, including higher-recycled-content materials, different sizes, or recycled paper alternatives. If they can’t provide clear material data or the options you need, test another partner for one packaging format before considering a larger change.

How can I make a packaging change without creating problems for my 3PL or fulfillment team?

Bring the people packing your orders into the testing process. Give them samples and check product fit, pack speed, seal strength, equipment compatibility, and whether the new format requires extra tape or void fill. A more sustainable package still needs to work at the packing station.

What if the more sustainable option costs more?

Compare more than the unit price. Look at whether right-sizing reduces void fill, whether the format changes packing time, and whether you can eliminate other packaging components. Then choose the greatest environmental improvement that also works for your budget and operations.

Should I prioritize recycled content or recyclability?

Ideally, both. Recycled content addresses where the package came from, while recyclability addresses what happens next. When trade-offs are necessary, evaluate the package as a whole rather than relying on a single sustainability attribute.