Eco-Friendly Shipping Tips

If you’re on Kidizen, you’ve chosen to embrace resale in one way or another which means you’re already making environmentally friendly choices. And if you’re a Kidizen seller, you know that shipping is an essential part of your resale business and that finding sustainable ways to ship what you sell can be challenging. When I think about eco-friendly ways to package and ship, I rely on those three familiar words: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

REDUCE. Less is more when it comes to packaging. Ship in the smallest package possible that still protects the item. Avoid using packaging that is excessive for the item you are shipping and make sure all of the packaging is serving a purpose. By encouraging bundles (multiple items in one order) you’ll not only decrease packaging materials, but you’ll also save on shipping costs. 

REUSE. Save packaging materials you receive when ordering from stores or from other sellers. As long as the outside isn’t compromised, these packages can all be reused – even poly mailer bags! Just be sure to remove any labels or barcodes from the bags and boxes you receive before using them again. Also, make sure to save any inner protective pieces such as air pillows or paper stuffing. Another great way to ensure that your package gets reused is to purchase recyclable poly mailer bags that have an extra adhesive strip, such as the Kidizen bags we sell a couple of times a year.

RECYCLE. Many packaging materials can be recycled if done through the proper channels. Just be sure to remove anything from the packaging that isn’t recyclable, such as packaging tape and labels. Tissue paper is most often made with recycled materials so it should either be reused or composted since it cannot be recycled. Poly mailer bags and deflated air pillows can be brought to local grocery stores to be recycled. You can even do it on your next trip to Target! Oftentimes, there is a color-coded drop bin towards the front of the store. Find a location here

5 Eco-Friendly Shipping Products We Love:

  1. Eco-Friendly Poly Mailer Bags. You’ll find many options from a quick Google search, however, some of our favorites are recycled mailers from EcoEnclose and 100% compostable mailers from Noissue. Kidizen even carries recycled poly mailers bags that have a second sealing strip so they can be used more than once. You can get these through ShippingHip but they sell out fast so stay tuned for restocks! When it comes to compostable mailers, not all are 100% compostable, which is why we like the ones from Noissue. Something else to take note of with compostable mailers is that they need to go in a composting bin or to be picked up/dropped off with a composting service, which isn’t as convenient for the customer who is receiving the package.
  2. Recycled boxes. If you order online, you most likely have all of the boxes you would ever need for shipping. But just in case, EcoEnclose and Noissue also carry 100% recycled boxes.
  3. Inner protective bags. These look great and protect your item in case of external bag tears. We’d still recommend the “less is more” route so consider whether your package needs the extra inner bag before committing to these. If you do decide to use an inner bag, there are a couple of more eco-friendly options out there. Glassine bags are translucent and moisture-proof. They can be recycled curbside and are naturally biodegradable. You could also try Clear Flap & Seal bags, made from 100% recycled content and are thin film recyclable (same as poly mailer bags).
  4. Pressure Sensitive Tape. Every little change you make when going greener makes a difference. Pressure Sensitive Tape(PST) is recyclable and does not need to be removed from packaging.
  5. Recyclable Shipping Labels. Both EcoEnclose and Noissue carry these. No need to be removed prior to recycling!
About The Author

Randi Pivec

Randi Pivec a.k.a. Violet’s Closet, is a kids clothes shopaholic and photo-obsessed mama of two who is just trying to figure this parenting thing out. She loves to answer any and all questions about Kidizen in the app and the Hello Kidizen Facebook group. When she isn’t helping other moms navigate buying and selling, she’s curating collections and brainstorming new style features.