Sustainable Blog Edition #33.
Packaging and shipping is a massive contributor of waste in not only the fashion industry, but just about all consumer markets. We are seeing an increasing shift away from plastic in our everyday lives. In 2020, New York City moved to ban plastic bags and introduce a 5 cent paper bag fee for retail. Measures like this can force the hand of businesses while ensuring it is cost effective, at the minute expense of the consumer.
It is much more challenging to reduce packaging waste in the ecommerce and shipping world, where customers demand timely, affordable, and durable shipping of products. Luckily most cardboards are recyclable and it still remains the ideal material for shipping and is usually reusable. That being said a huge percentage of fashion companies use single use poly mailers to ship apparel cheaply. Fast fashion takes single use packaging a step further, often wrapping garments in individual plastic bags which cannot be recycled.
Some companies like Amazon have acknowledged the waste they produce and are beginning to shift some shipments to paper mailers. Sometimes however companies choose to focus on their carbon footprint over the physical waste produced. Also a tactic used by Amazon, they note on their poly mailers that the packing is lighter than even their smallest cardboard box and significantly reduces its carbon footprint on trucks. While the specific impact of this is unknown, it could be considered a form of greenwashing which we discussed in last weeks Sustainable Blog #32.
At Lazy Hype we have examined every aspect of our packaging to see where we can reduce our impact. For starters, we keep it local. All of our packaging and clothing is made and shipped from LA, significantly reducing our logistical carbon emissions. Furthermore, our labels and boxes are made from recycled paper, and our poly bags are biodegradable. Next step is on you to make sure you recycle our packing and keep the cycle going!