There are many reasons for small businesses to prioritize environmentally friendly practices. For starters, it’s important to your customers. According to a HuffPost roundup of data-backed reasons your business will benefit from being more socially responsible, 90% of consumers are likely to switch to socially responsible brands, and 55% are willing to pay more for their products and services.
But your customers aren’t the only ones who care about corporate responsibility- your employees care too!. Not only do employees prefer to work for socially responsible companies, but they’re also likely to perform better, too. From generating new business opportunities to saving your money, the benefits of socially responsible business practices go on and on. And then there’s the simple reason that it’s the right thing to do.
Which begs the question: What can you do to leverage all of these benefits for your business and bottom line? One significant but straightforward starting point is to upgrade to eco-friendly packaging. The best part is that it’s more accessible than you think. While technology evolves to include different plastic alternatives, your small business doesn’t have to shell out big bucks for environmentally responsible packaging.
Read on for a closer look at three ways to make the shift to a more socially conscious business model through affordable and mindful eco-friendly packaging.
1. Use boxes made with recycled cardboard.
We all know recycling isn’t a perfect solution. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile — especially when you factor in that a billion trees worth of cardboard is thrown away in the United States every year. Recycling cardboard has many upsides for the planet, including conserving forests, saving energy, reducing pollution, reducing landfill waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and saving water.
By switching to recycled boxes for your small business packaging, you’ll be contributing to all of these benefits. Not only will you feel good about reducing your footprint, but your customers and employees will, too. Switching to a more sustainable packaging option will lead to various other bottom line-boosting results for your business, such as increased demand, more satisfied customers, better employee engagement, and reduced staff turnover.
DIYPack’s corrugated boxes for shipping are recyclable, compostable, and repurposable. Our boxes are also certified according to SFI standards for sustainable material sourcing, demonstrating our commitment to forest management. There are many other reasons to consider DIYPack for your custom shipping and mailing boxes, including that they’re lightweight, inexpensive, strong, versatile, and easily customizable.
2. Don’t over-order boxes.
Ordering more boxes than you need is wasteful from several perspectives. For starters, it uses more material than you need. If you’re ordering seasonal boxes or specialty boxes for a short timeframe, a huge order of these boxes may never get used. Furthermore, if you’re working with limited retail or storage space, ordering the appropriate number of boxes can also help make the most of the square footage you have.
Minimum order requirements are another reason to partner with DIYPack for your custom boxes and mailers. We have no minimum order requirements. Need just one box or a small batch? We’ll make it for you! On the flip side, we also offer bulk pricing discounts. The more boxes you order of the same design, type and size, the less you’ll pay.
The takeaway? Whatever the scope of your project, we can help you order the optimal number of custom boxes.
3. Use the right size box.
One of the packaging industry’s up-and-coming trends is “right-size packaging.” This term simply means using packaging that’s the “right-size” for its contents. Making the switch to right-size packaging makes sense from an environmental perspective.
In addition to using fewer materials and producing less waste, right-sizing has other advantages, as well. Right-size packaging is often lighter, less cumbersome to handle, and less costly to ship. It also supports a more pleasing unboxing experience for customers.
While DIYPack offers a breadth and depth of box sizes for customization, we can also create custom packaging to your exact specifications.
Eco-friendly packaging — and all the benefits that go along with it — is within reach of your small business. Sustainable packaging is just one of the ways your small business can gain a competitive edge by rethinking your packaging. From embracing custom shipping boxes to keeping up with the latest trends in packaging design, several other strategies can help you save money while boosting your brand and delighting your customers.
To learn more about creating your custom eco-friendly packaging with DIYPack, visit our site!
