Are There Plastic-Free Fashion and Beauty Packaging Alternatives?

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There’s a lot that goes into keeping your brand sustainable. Between fabric sourcing, supply chain ethics, and tracking emissions, sustainable packaging might be the last thing on your mind. But eco-friendly packaging is important to your customers.

As you’re probably aware, the most common way to ship products is plastic polybags. Polybags are convenient and protect products from damage, dirt, and moisture. The problem is, they’re part of the plastic pollution problem. And customers aren’t thrilled by this, either.

But it’s not just customer loyalty you have to worry about. Regulations are being implemented around the world to help solve the plastic crisis. The European Parliament has set packaging reduction targets, including minimums for recycled content.

Though there are plenty of reasons to make the switch to eco-friendly packaging, it doesn’t come without its own challenges. Items that get damaged in transit due to insufficient protections are thrown out, which can potentially lead to a more significant environmental impact.

So how do you manage to keep your packaging from becoming a source of landfill-bound plastic trash, while also making sure that your ethical product gets to your customer in one piece?

While plastic is lightweight, durable, waterproof and cheap, it isn’t a long-term solution, especially for a business striving to lessen its impact. The good news is there are more and more environmentally friendly alternatives for garment and e-commerce packaging. But before we get into our top picks, let’s go over your options for sustainable packaging solutions, including their benefits and trade-offs.

Reducing Packaging: One way to reduce the impact of single-use packaging is to simply use less. Some brands do this by putting multiple items in a single bag, using more strategic folding methods, or simply using smaller polybags. Sustainable fashion brand Prana slashed polybag use almost entirely as of the fall of 2021 by rolling the garments instead of folding them and then bundle-packing them. Similar initiatives have been explored and implemented by 38% of brands surveyed by Fashion for Good as of 2019.

While swapping out single-item polybags at the consumer end is a start, it’s easier said than done. If your products are made and packaged by suppliers overseas, you’ll have to collaborate with them to change packaging processes for your brand. Otherwise, you’ll just be disposing of the extra plastic yourself, while dealing with the extra labor and logistical costs of unpacking and repacking.

Recycled Plastic Bags: The problem with plastics isn’t just pollution. Making plastic takes its toll on the environment, too. Plastics are derived from fossil fuels, and as such, contribute to climate change. One report in 2019 estimated that by 2050, plastic production and incineration could release as many emissions annually as 615 coal plants.

So choosing recycled plastic over new is obviously the more sustainable choice. Some brands incorporate recycled materials in their packaging, while others have quit new plastic packaging completely. Many suppliers offer polybags with up to 100% recycled content with that look and function about as well as their virgin counterparts. But how environmentally-friendly are recycled plastics in practice?

The answer is, it depends. The most commonly used material, low-density polyethylene (LDPE), can be recycled as long as minimal ink and water-soluble adhesives. But you can’t put them in your standard street side recycled bin, which means even the plastic packaging that is technically recyclable is often thrown away. Though there are organizations like How2Recycle offer bins to recycle some polybags at common stores, the plastic film recycling rate has continually dropped since 2017.

This means that it’s not inherently a circular solution. To be effective, minimizing plastic use needs to be twofold; incorporating recycled packaging and having a plan to continue recycling. This can look like accepting them back from customers, like Patagonia, or working with a program that collects and recycles them. Just make sure the polybags you’re getting are actually recycled. Look out for labels from The Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), and the Recycled Material Standard (RMS), which is designed to validate recycled content in packaging.

Ultimately, recycled plastic polybags are better than new ones, but are not all long-term fix-all solution.

Biodegradable and Compostable Packaging: Biodegradable bags are commonly made with polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), Bio-PET, which are partially made from corn, sugarcane and other starchy crops. They can break down in the right environment given enough time. But even though they’re partially made of natural materials, they’re not a completely eco-friendly solution. Bio-plastics are made with synthetic chemicals to make them soft, flexible, or stronger–which means they need to be carefully regulated, just like regular plastics.

An alternative is home compostable bags, which are made of natural plant-based material—but these have a lot of the same problems as bio-plastics. Compostable bags can also be a source of environmental pollution, and there are currently no federal standards to regulate them. If you decide to go this route, be sure to look for options that are Green Screen or Cradle to Cradle Certified to be free of hazardous chemicals. Additionally, make sure the material is certified backyard compostable. (Or accepted by local commercial composting facilities, but that relies on customers taking the extra step instead of throwing it away.)

Paper Packaging: Paper seems like the perfect solution at first. It’s easily recyclable, biodegradable, and is a relatively accessible option for brands. But paper, like all materials, needs to be sourced responsibly, lest it contribute to deforestation. If you go with paper, look for labels from the Forest Stewardship Council to be sure that the forest it came from is taken care of.

The other problem with paper? Durability. Like Patagonia found, garments packaged in paper mailers can get damaged in transit much more easily. If you do go with this option, consider going for a sturdy version like sustainably-sourced cardboard.

Reusable Packaging: Reusable mailers can make a significant difference in emissions and plastic waste. Brands like Toad&Co work with LimeLoop to implement reusable packaging in their orders, and include a label to make it easy and free to return. However, it can be difficult to get the mailers back from customers, and logistically challenging to get them back to your supply chain partner. If you have a strong grasp on reverse logistics, this may be the best move for your brand.  But if that sounds like too much, you can still send orders in multi-functional packaging, like tote bags or reusable garment bags.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for sustainable packaging. Every brand has to balance the benefits and trade-offs of different alternatives and decide what works best for them. You may even find that a mix of these options fits best with your logistics and mission.

While brands can help the packaging problem by making sustainable choices and implementing collection solutions, no company can address this systematic problem by themselves. Beyond shipping your own products, you can support policies like extended producer responsibility, diverting subsidies away from the petroleum industry to plastic-free alternatives and industry standardization of packaging.

Here are our favorite brands that can help you reduce plastic waste in your packaging:

EcoEnclose

What we love: EcoEnclose is a dedicated brand that excels in creative sustainable packaging solutions. The majority of its paper-based products are FSC-certified, and its poly-based packaging is verified to be recyclable. You can find information about its supply chain and material specs, including the inks and adhesive used, as well as recycling instructions. Its collection includes paper mailers, poly mailers, shipping boxes, inner and retail packaging, and labels, as well as stickers, notecards, and hang tags.

Available: Internationally

noissue

What we love: noissue makes custom sustainable packaging for makers, brands, and businesses. It offers compostable, recyclable, and reusable options, all at low minimums. It has a transparent map of its supply chain partners, and an optional tree planting program. Its recyclable poly mailers are reusable and curbside recyclable, and it’s custom Kraft mailers can be composted at home.

Available: Internationally

Lime Loop

What we love: LimeLoop offers a range of reusable off-the-shelf and custom packaging solutions. It specializes in durable, lightweight reusable mailers made from upcycled materials, and works with brands to track the environmental impact of each package. It only works with manufacturers that source from certified mills and ensure safe and fair labor conditions.

Available: Internationally

Tipa

What we love: Tipa was founded to create flexible packaging that isn’t toxic to the environment. Its collection of packaging for fashion includes compostable polybags, zipper bags, mailers, garment bags, and resealable bags. The brand works with existing packaging suppliers worldwide, and provides instructions for composting the package at home.

Available: Internationally

Mushroom Packaging by Ecovative

What we love: Ecovative Design created this compostable alternative to styrofoam and plastic by growing mycelium and agricultural matter together. What’s unique about this packaging solution is that it’s grown to shape in custom molds, like tincture, wine, or heart-shaped boxes, plus it’s water and flame resistant. It’s home-compostable in 45 days, but has a shelf life of 30 years.

Available in: North America and Europe

PackMojo

What we love: PackMojo offers over a line of FSC-certified recyclable packaging. It partners with factories that produce paper and cardboard based packaging, and all of its products contain at least 50% recycled materials. It offers aqueous varnish as an alternative to lamination, and all of its inks are soy-based.

Available: Internationally 

Sourceful

What we love: Sourceful aims to reach zero carbon emission and zero waste packaging. You can filter its selection by plastic-free, drop-off recyclable, recycled content, low-impact ink, or curbside recyclable. It uses majority FSC-certified materials, and vets its supplier network to maintain transparency and minimize environmental impact.

Available in: Internationally, but contact the brand first if ordering from outside the UK.

Packhelp

What we love: This online custom packaging marketplace offers boxers, mailers, and envelopes. You can filter its options by FSC-certified, biodegradable material, reusable, recyclable, or made with recycled content. Packhelp has especially low minimums at just 30 pieces.

Available in: The continental U.S.

DS Smith

What we love: DS Smith offers cardboard and paper recycling worldwide and manufactures over 15 billion recycled boxes a year. It intentionally designs its packaging to reduce the need for plastic. Its recycled and recyclable packaging solutions include returnable packaging, protective packaging, and reusable packaging. It maintains a Global Supplier Standard to ensure ethical practices throughout its supply chain.

Available: Internationally