Our Framework
Our Framework
No packaging today is truly sustainable - including ours.
We firmly believe this does not have to be true.
Our North Star
Our vision is packaging circularity. All packaging is made out of packaging, and then becomes packaging again. Raw materials that feed into packaging are net positive for the planet.
While our vision is inspiring, we can only achieve it with a clear, tactical framework guiding our priorities and decision-making.
1.
Maximize Recycled Content Inputs
especially post-consumer waste
The circular economy’s success hinges not on individual recycling efforts but on producers and brands actively using recycled materials. This demand is essential to create a sustainable cycle of circularity.
Recycled packaging has a significantly lower environmental impact than virgin materials, with carbon emissions reduced by 70–90%. It also eliminates the extraction of natural resources like petroleum and trees, protecting habitats, forests, and biodiversity.
To close the recycling loop, both businesses and consumers must prioritize using recycled content. While not all packaging can incorporate recycled materials, it’s ideal for eCommerce and should be used wherever possible.
We are committed to maximizing recycled content, especially post-consumer waste, in our packaging. Our goal is to use 100% post-consumer waste materials, sourced and remanufactured in the U.S. By increasing the use of domestic recycled content, we drive demand for recycled materials, fostering innovation and capacity in the recycling supply chain.
Progress in recycling technology demonstrates the power of demand. Ten years ago, recycled plastic film was limited to composite decking. Today, due to brand demand, it can be repurposed into new plastic film, enabling bag-to-bag recycling. Similarly, solid bleached sulfite (SBS) paperboard, once reliant on virgin paper, is now available with up to 30% recycled content and can technically reach 100%.
Brand commitment to recycled materials accelerates the shift toward a truly circular economy.
Questions We Ask:
• Is it made with as much recycled content- post-consumer waste (PCR) in particular- as possible?
• Is the PCR the same material as the packaging being created, or was it downcycled?
• Is the PCR supply chain domestic, strengthening the US’s recycling capabilities and capacity?
2.
Design for Recyclability
at end-of-life
Achieving circularity requires that most consumers can successfully recycle packaging, enabling materials to be remanufactured into new packaging. To make this possible, we must identify and eliminate barriers to material recovery and design packaging that aligns with existing recycling infrastructure.
Despite recent criticisms and misinformation about recycling, properly sorted and accepted materials are successfully processed, baled, and sold to reclaimers for remanufacturing. However, not all materials are recyclable today. Polystyrene, PVC, black plastics, and items smaller than 2 inches are among those we avoid, focusing instead on stable, high-value, and readily recyclable materials.
We prioritize mono-materials and those that can be recycled into the same material, avoiding downcycling into lower-value items. Recycling reduces landfill waste, preventing harmful emissions and preserving valuable raw materials.
While reuse is ideal, it isn’t always practical, particularly in eCommerce. Through life cycle analysis, we take a data-driven approach to balance single-use, dual-use, and reusable packaging solutions, ensuring sustainability without compromising efficiency.
Questions We Ask:
• Can it be widely recycled by the majority of the country?
• Can it be recycled back into itself, or is it commonly down-cycled into something lower-value?
• Can the packaging be reused before it is recycled?
• Are we doing all we can to maximize the rate at which it gets reused and recycled? Is our messaging and labeling clear and accurate?
A Note on Compostability
People often ask us if compostability helps make packaging more circular and sustainable.
Within our framework, the answer is no. Here's why.
For eCommerce Packaging, Designing for Composting is NOT Considered Circular
We do not explicitly design most of our packaging for compostability. We recognize that composting is another end-of-life option that diverts from landfills. Still, composting means materials are no longer available to be put back into new goods, which is essential to our vision for circularity.
3.
Identify & Adopt Restorative Raw Materials
to catalyze scale and adoption
While circularity is the goal, raw materials will always play a role in the system. Historically, raw material production has been extractive and harmful to the environment. To counter this, we invest in innovative materials like seaweed and algae that have restorative potential, helping to commercialize and scale them for adoption by early adopters and brands within our network.
We actively seek materials with restorative production impacts, recognizing the challenges these innovations face in achieving market viability. Large brands often avoid unproven technologies, but EcoEnclose and our EcoAlly community embrace the opportunity to pilot and refine these materials, paving the way for broader adoption.
Our approach to innovative materials includes:
- Research and Vetting: Ensuring materials represent significant ecological progress.
- Application Development: Identifying optimal packaging applications for early-stage materials.
- Collaborative Testing: Partnering with forward-thinking brands to test, refine, and improve these solutions.
To accelerate adoption, we invest in stock solutions featuring these materials, making them accessible to smaller brands willing to provide feedback. Examples include Black Algae Ink™, Zero Waste Labels, and Sway Seaweed Film.
We also carefully assess and decline materials that don’t align with our ecological standards, such as corn-based plastics, additives that hasten plastic degradation in landfills, and certain crop-based plastics with adverse environmental impacts. For materials like sugarcane-based plastics, we scrutinize production methods to ensure sustainability.
Looking ahead, we remain committed to sourcing bio-derived plastics and natural fibers from waste products or materials that sequester carbon, improve soils, and support biodiversity.
Questions We Ask:
• Are the virgin materials significantly more restorative than the materials being replaced, such as paper derived from uncertified forestry or plastic derived from fossil fuels or chemical-heavy crops?
• Do we have an opportunity to help commercialize and catalyze the market adoption of an emerging material that can be regenerative long-term?
• Have we vetted how the source material is produced, and is that production as thoughtful as possible?
4.
Consider the Entire Life-Cycle
GHG, deforestation, biodiversity, soil health
Circularity is vital but must be considered alongside broader environmental impacts. Too often, “eco-friendly packaging” is judged solely by its end-of-life disposal method—landfill, compost, or recyclable—overlooking the significant environmental consequences of its production.
We rely on life cycle assessments (LCAs), research, and nonprofit partnerships to make informed decisions and address trade-offs. Poor packaging choices can exacerbate issues like deforestation, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss.
While paper packaging is often seen as a sustainable alternative to plastic, it can threaten primary and secondary forests vital for combating climate change, protecting biodiversity, and sustaining our planet. To mitigate this, we prioritize recycled content and agricultural waste solutions for paper-based packaging.
Bioplastics also pose challenges. Many are derived from crops like corn, potatoes, sugarcane, and cassava, whose conventional production relies on pesticides, fertilizers, and fuel-intensive methods, displacing grasslands and forests. Similarly, tree-based materials, including cellophane, contribute to deforestation. We carefully evaluate these sources to ensure they support soil health, biodiversity, and sustainable farming practices before adoption.
Compostable bioplastics often fail to live up to their promise. Many contaminate industrial compost facilities, leaving behind inks, adhesives, toxins, and partially degraded materials, polluting the compost we rely on to amend soils.
We remain committed to developing packaging solutions that address environmental impacts holistically, balancing circularity with the preservation of ecosystems and resources.
Questions We Ask:
• Have we assessed the packaging’s impact on all nine planetary boundaries and critical issues such as deforestation, soil health, and human health?
• Climate change is the most time-sensitive environmental threat to address. How do our products contribute?
5.
Be Transparent & Traceable
a greenwash-free zone
We believe that sustainability cannot be communicated through vague phrases or icons. To ensure transparency, we only offer products after obtaining clear documentation on source materials, recycled content, recyclability, supply chain ethics, and, when applicable, third-party certifications. All relevant information is shared on our website and in the Bill of Materials.
This transparency drives continuous improvement in our products and empowers you to make informed decisions that align with your sustainability goals.
Our documentation includes:
- Recycled content levels and post-industrial vs. post-consumer ratios
- Country of manufacture
- Printing ink and adhesive specifications
- Chemicals used in the manufacturing process
- End-of-life options
- Comprehensive research supporting our sustainability framework
In 2023, we significantly invested in third-party verifications and certifications. While certifications don't automatically make packaging sustainable, they are crucial for large brands to audit complex supply chains.
As a result, we are now FSC® Chain of Custody certified, have Recycled Content Standard certification for our poly-based packaging, and received How2Recycle preauthorization for our poly-based lines.
Questions We Ask:
• Do we have documentation across the entire supply chain to verify our data points about the packaging?
• Can we share critical statistics about the packaging with our community?
6.
The "Little Things" Matter
using product details as opportunities for improvement
There are many “little things” in any package - small or hidden components that can go unnoticed. So, our innovation efforts aren't just on the piece of the packaging itself - they address the details as well, making them more carbon-efficient, recycle-friendly, and regenerative over time.
Release liners for stickers and shipping labels are something end consumers don't even see. But historically, they have always been made with virgin, silicone-coated paper.
We introduced the first-ever label line with a 100% recycled, uncoated, curbside recyclable liner. Our stickers and labels also feature adhesives that are "recycle compatible," which allows for a more seamless separation of sticker facestock and the paper package substrate during the recycling and re-pulping process.
We were the first to introduce the Algae Ink™ print option, a water-based black ink whose pigment is made with algae cells rather than petrochemicals. We use water or soy-based alternatives when Algae Ink™ isn't an option.
Questions We Ask:
• Have we identified and pursued all opportunities to make minor aspects of the solution as circular as possible?
7.
Source Reduction
right-size your packaging
Huge boxes for tiny products surrounded by plastic air pillows—this move is for companies that prioritize cost reduction and operational efficiency above all else.
Our mantra is different. Sustainable packaging requires minimizing material and sizing packages correctly so they do not require packaging and shipping air.
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We take the time to produce a custom box for every shipment out our door, so your package is delivered without excessive void fill or extra space.
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All of our boxes are custom-cut to brand-specific dimensions. We provide free samples so you can ensure the size is perfect before placing your order.
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We offer many sizes of mailers, so you can find the one that perfectly fits your products.
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We offer our products in small bundles and large cases, allowing you to stock various mailer sizes more efficiently rather than packing all of your shipments into a one-size-fits-all package.
Questions We Ask:
• Is the packaging, and are all of its components, completely necessary?
• Are there opportunities to use fewer materials to make it?
• Are there opportunities to design-out unnecessary components and materials?
• Is the packaging made with as little material as possible while meeting functional and aesthetic needs?
8.
Ethical Supply Chain
aligned with our eco-values
We have primarily chosen to work with domestic partners whose eco-values align with ours.
We have prioritized domestic manufacturing because it is much easier for us to visit, tour, verify, and collaborate with domestic partners.
We’ve been able to audit their facilities and working conditions and can readily learn how well workers are being treated and paid.
In the instances where we manufacture overseas, either because the capabilities only exist overseas or because the packaging solutions need to be delivered to an overseas facility, we review documentation that confirms manufacturing plants have been audited and are committed to fair treatment of workers.
Questions We Ask:
• Are the people who manufacture and ship our packaging treated with dignity and a commitment to ethics?
• Are communities across the supply chain strengthened?
• Are there any major human rights concerns across the supply chain?
Read More
9.
Efficient Logistics & Manufacturing Footprint
Our manufacturing partners are core to our ecological progress, and they are vetted accordingly. We work to manufacture our goods as close to their shipping destination as possible, with facilities whose operations and standards align with our ecological and ethical commitments.
Most of our products are delivered to US-based locations, so we have built a largely US-based manufacturing network. Why ship from halfway around the world when you can manufacture domestically and ship more efficiently? Working with US manufacturers also ensures that the workers bringing our products to life are compensated with a living wage. It also means our products are made with US-recycled inputs, helping bolster our domestic recycling chain.
In addition to transportation efficiency and the lower emissions and energy usage from minimizing this transportation, we recognize that the upstream environmental impact (part of our Scope 3 emissions) represents a large portion of our company’s footprint. What most packaging providers consider their “supply chain” is, to us, a “supply network” of true partners who are constantly critical in our quest to improve the sustainability and ethics of our packaging.
Across all of our partners, including the small set that isn't North American, we look to work with those who can communicate their sustainable actions and, where relevant, can verify them with certifications. For example, our recycled poly-based partner is an active member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and the Association of Plastic Recyclers.
Questions We Ask:
• Is the solution manufactured relatively close to where the packaging will ultimately be shipped?
• Is the recycled content derived relatively close to where the packaging is manufactured?
10.
Continuous Innovation
progress over perfection
There is no such thing as “sustainable packaging” - yet.
We fully recognize this, and though we are proud of our solutions, we also acknowledge how far we are from our ultimate vision of truly circular packaging.
We regularly review and audit our solutions, identifying opportunities to make them better and more circular. We also look beyond our current solutions, reviewing emerging technologies and materials.
When opportunities align with our long-term vision, we invest our resources aggressively, working as hard as possible to commercialize these options and accelerate how quickly they are brought to our passionate EcoAlly community.
Questions We Ask:
• Can we make the solution better - and more circular - in support of our ultimate sustainable packaging vision?
• Are these improvements appropriately planned for in our innovation roadmap?
Do you have input, feedback, or disagreements?
Share them with our CEO, Saloni Doshi, at saloni@ecoenclose.com. We always want to hear other perspectives, learn, and evolve, especially given how rapidly this space advances.
It is essential to note that many sources are biased. Organizations like The American Plastics Council, American Forest & Paper Association, and Hemp Industries Association have a vested financial interest in consumers believing their material or product is an ecological superhero.
EcoEnclose is materials-agonistic; we are not tied to any one packaging solution or type of material. As such, we seek out sources with as little bias as possible but ultimately read all of the information out there, looking for consistent facts across them to try to determine what is true versus a motivated, self-supporting argument.