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Posted on: 31 March 2016

If you run your own small business and are looking for ways to be more eco-friendly in your day-to-day practices, start with your packaging materials. This is especially important for businesses that frequently sell and ship items to clients, such as online merchandisers. Your clients will most likely appreciate doing business with an environmentally responsible company as well. 

The good news is that you don't have to sacrifice professionalism or aesthetics in your attempt to go green. There are plenty of eye-catching and effective ways to package your products while reducing your carbon footprint as well. 

Here are some eco-friendly packaging ideas to point you in the right direction:

1. Use recycled cardboard boxes when shipping larger or delicate items. The best way to do this is by saving and reusing boxes that you receive in the mail, instead of just throwing them away. If you need to purchase boxes, always make sure that they're constructed of 100 percent recycled cardboard

Another option is to check your local retailers, such as grocery stores, for any cardboard boxes. Find out which days they receive shipments and check back then for the best selection of boxes.

2. Stop using polystyrene packaging "peanuts," which aren't biodegradable and are bound to end up in landfills. If you happen to have some on hand, feel free to reuse them but don't purchase new ones.

Instead of using the foam fillers to pad items in boxes, go with natural options, such as shredded recycled paper instead. Consider investing in a paper shredder so you can easily turn paper scraps and newspapers into filler as needed.

3. Use plantable paper, which is embedded with seeds, to wrap small items, such as jewelry, as a unique touch. The specialty paper is intended to be planted and will bloom into flowers or herbs when planted in a garden or plant pot. 

Although the botanical paper can be pricey, it will make a big impact on customers, who will most likely see the packaging as an added bonus to their purchase. 

4. Recycle everyday paper into creative packaging material. Tear pages out of an old dictionary or thesaurus and use them to wrap small items. As a whimsical touch, wrap products in comic book pages or from Sunday newspapers' comic sections.  

Other unconventional and earth-friendly packaging ideas include recycled scrapbook paper, fabric scraps and tissue paper you've saved from gifts. Personalize the packages by tying them with cloth ribbons.  To learn more, contact a company like Commonwealth Inc.