What is sustainable packaging?

Environmental sustainability is becoming a standard business practice. Especially for small businesses, adopting a greener approach to our everyday practices is not only essential, but critical in order to stay relevant to our clients.

At Studio Akiyo it all starts with being intentional in everything we do and understanding the environmental impact of the choices we make today. Instead of focusing on the things we can’t control, we are committed in making sure that we are doing everything we can to make a difference.

We know that it takes a lot of time and effort to do research and when it comes to sustainable packaging materials, there are simply so many options and choices. To help you understand your choices better, we have listed our personal favorite that we are using everyday to ship all of our products across the world.

Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts ~

Foam peanuts, also known as foam popcorn, packing peanuts, or packing noodles, are a common loose-fill packaging and cushioning material used to prevent damage to fragile objects during shipping. As we are shipping candles & homewares, packaging peanuts are simply a necessity for us. What we LOVE about biodegradable packing peanuts is that they are made from natural, nontoxic sources, such as wheat and corn starch. They dissolve in water and can be thrown into compost piles after a single use. In addition, biodegradable foam peanuts do not have an electrostatic charge, meaning they will not stick to clothes. How cool is that, right?

Honeycomb Paper ~

Honeycomb paper is an environmentally friendly, cost-effective, custom-engineered kraft paper material that can be used as void fill packaging and at Studio Akiyo, we use it to wrap all of our products. It is constructed by the adjoining of individual bands of kraft paper together into a series of hexagonal cells. It is made from recyclable, biodegradable and bio compostable paper. It is definitly a great option but you do need to make sure that you are using other packaging materials. Speaking from experience, simply using honeycomb paper doesn't work. At least, with candles.

Corrugated Paper ~

Corrugated cardboard has unique properties that make it ideal for packaging. Its rigidity can support heavy weight and pressure from stacked boxes in shipping, while its layers provide flexibility when wrapping individual items. Taper candles, for example, are always packed with a layer of corrugated paper since they are extremely fragile.

Biodegradable Packaging Tape ~

Don't get us wrong, recyclable packaging tape exclusively branded to your small business is the dream but when you do not want to splurge right away, there are also other great option! Kraft paper tapes have a natural rubber-based adhesive system that makes an excellent bond to most packing products and surfaces. It is made out of paper which makes it 100% recyclable and compostable.

Of course, there are times that as a small business, you don't have any options (or lowest cost option) but knowing that you are intentionally doing your very best for your clients always counts for something.