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We ship our packages as responsibly as we can. Below is a walkthrough of our process for shipping out posters and prints from our shop. Even for those not interested in “green” shipping, our packaging methods are cheaper than other methods we’ve seen, so it still might be worth taking a look. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below or drop us a line.
Materials
First, we start by wrapping the posters for protection. We use a kraft paper roll that is 100% recycled, with a minimum 70% post-consumer content (on occasion we use scrap paper if we have any lying around). Once wrapped, the posters are packed in a poster tube that is also 100% recycled with a minimum 70% post-consumer content. The tubes we use are snap-seal, which saves money but more importantly doesn’t use the more common plastic end caps. We use stamps with non-toxic ink to mark the tubes. For security purposes we tape the ends of the tube with a non-reinforced (the reinforced type has fiberglass strands) water-activated kraft sealing tape instead of the standard plastic packaging tape. Finally, we print the shipping labels out on a 100% post-consumer adhesive label paper. In total, our materials cost for shipping out one tube is a little more than $1.75.
Carbon Offsets
Shipping itself has a significant environmental footprint, and to counter this we purchase carbon offsets for each shipment.
A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for or to offset an emission made elsewhere.
Definition via Wikipedia
Carbon offsets have a bit of a bad wrap, and are often controversial, but we figure regardless of their validity we’re supporting good causes like renewable energy which almost everyone can agree is a good thing. The offsets are purchased from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
It’s far from being a perfect system, and if you have feedback or suggestions, we’d love to hear them.