Last Updated on September 10, 2024

Sustainable packaging is a huge pain point in many ‘eco friendly’ companies I’ve looked into. Aside from all the plastic bottles, lids, and containers, there are styrofoam peanuts, plastic balloon wrapping, and cardboard boxes coated in plastic. So much waste!

Going zero waste in your personal life is only one piece of the environmental advocacy puzzle. In order to make lasting change, we need all pieces of the puzzle moving. This includes groups, organizations, businesses, and politicians. If all businesses prioritized eco friendly packaging, we could reduce landfill waste, improve our carbon footprint, and conserve natural resources. Packaging and sustainability go hand in hand, so I’m going to teach you how to ask businesses to prioritize this aspect.

a consumers power in demanding sustainable packaging

I’ve already written posts on finding your local zero waste community and getting involved in local government. 99% of my entire blog is based on individual action, so I have that part covered too. 😉

The key piece I’m missing is businesses! Now, this post isn’t for business owners — it’s about how you can help influence and shape business practices as a consumer.

One of the arguments I hear against living a zero waste lifestyle is that individual responsibility is a lie. They argue that corporations do the majority of the polluting and it is their job to clean it up. They think that an individual can only cause so much change.

While I agree that corporations do share some of the blame, I think it is everyone’s responsibility. If everyone becomes an environmental advocate, big change can happen.

The individual buys the products, the companies make them while disregarding natural resources, and our politicians let it all happen.

No one is blameless here, but it’s important to remember that citizens must act so policy and businesses can react! 

The first impactful change businesses can make is to include sustainable packaging, but they simply won’t do it if there isn’t a demand. Businesses take cues from us, the shoppers. We are the demand! We get to demand change, and that happens in a few ways. 

1. conversation
2. voting with our dollars
3. outcry

1. become an environmental advocate by starting the conversation

I challenge you to write three businesses about their practices this month. You can’t be an environmental advocate if you’re not advocating for anything.

I think one of the best (and easiest!) places to start is with straws. 

Straws are a super hot topic right now. Cities are starting (literally) small in their environmental advocacy by “banning” them left and right. Just to be clear, when we say straw “bans” it means offering straws on request only. Restaurants are banned from putting them in drinks automatically and offering them to tables.

Straw bans cut down on a significant amount of waste and can save the restaurant some $$$. I have composed a sample letter for you to use as a guide. 

writing letters to request eco friendly packaging (and more!)

Of course, you can take these principles and use them to contact any company about anything. Maybe you have a favorite face cream that comes in a plastic squeeze tube, and you’d like to see that change to more eco friendly packaging. 

Using all of the same principles, craft a letter letting them know how you’d like for them to change. Instead of a plastic bottle, maybe they could use a recyclable metal squeeze tube or package the product in glass. Maybe they could initiate a take back program! 

Regardless of the ask, they’re not going to do anything that won’t make them money. They have to see a positive impact in the demand for their products when making big changes, like altering their packaging and sustainability practices.

Brands aren’t mind readers. We have to show them what we want. We can prove customer interest and that starts with you! 

example letter for requesting straw bans:

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Good morning,

I hope you’re doing well. Diner Town is one of my favorite places to grab lunch; the pecan pie is my absolute fave! During my last visit, I couldn’t help but notice that straws are automatically placed in all of the drinks. 

Straws and single-use plastic in general have been getting a lot of media attention. France has done away with single-use plastic cups and cutlery, and so has Seattle. Even McDonald’s is looking for plastic straw alternatives. 

Straws may seem small, but they add up. In the US alone, we use 500 million plastic straws every day! 

Currently, 8 million tons of plastic winds up in the ocean each year. Most of that is single-use plastic, which is responsible for killing over 100,000 marine animals annually. 

I would like to ask that Diner Town adopt a straw-on-request-only policy. This means that straws aren’t automatically put into drinks or advertised. Instead, they are only handed out when a customer specifically asks for one. 

This will significantly decrease the amount of straws you go through, having a positive effect on the environment and your bottom line. 

I really hope you’ll take my request into consideration. Thank you! 

Sincerely, 

Kathryn

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Writing letters seems pretty intimidating, but I promise, it’s easier than you think and it gets easier with time! 

the dos of writing environmental advocacy letters: 

Tell the company why you like them:

Do they have the best pecan pie? Is this a special place for you? Let them know. Companies receive a lot of angry emails. Very rarely do they receive positive ones. 

Most people only go out of their way to write if they’re angry. Sending a positive letter will mean they’re more likely to listen and be receptive to your message. 

Use facts and show that they will be in good company: 

Let them know about the problem. Awareness and education are still THE NUMBER ONE hurdle the zero waste, plastic free movement is facing. A lot of people still don’t know this is a problem. 

By presenting the problem and showing them how other people are working towards a remedy, you’re showing they are not alone, and that what you’re suggesting could be popular. (Maybe even a selling point??? Nielson found that 66% of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable brands!) 

Make the ask obvious:

Have you ever received an email without a request or a question? Often you just read it, and wonder “How should I respond?”

Make sure you answer the questions, “What do I want?” and “What’s in it for them?” clearly. This will avoid confusion, and there will be a greater chance of you getting a response. 

Keep it short:

How many long emails have you read all the way through? I’m guessing you skim the majority of them. I know when I open up my inbox to a wall of text… I tend to skip to the next email. 

So keep it short and sweet! 

Follow up: 

Follow up two times and only two times. Give it around a week in between each follow up if you haven’t heard back. After the second time, if you still haven’t heard back, they’re probably ignoring you.

the don’ts of writing environmental advocacy letters

Don’t get angry: 

Don’t get upset and super angry. They’ll be immediately turned off and won’t want to help you. I believe the old saying goes, “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

2. voting with your dollars

I don’t like to threaten companies in my letters. I don’t like to say, “Do this or I won’t be buying ever again!” because when does bullying ever work? 

But, voting with your dollars is an important part of the process when encouraging companies to prioritize sustainable packaging and other eco friendly initiatives.

When you buy sustainable products, you’re signaling to brands, “Sustainability is desirable!” You’re letting them know they should make more sustainable products.

But, you should know almost no purchase you make is going to be perfect. Head over to this blog post to figure out how to make the best choice for the environment. 

Every purchase has an impact on the environment, the person who made it, you, and your home. Moreover, almost nothing is actually ‘done‘ when you’re through with it. 

It’s pretty amazing to think about the process something has to go through before it gets to you. If you’re interested in the life cycle of products make sure to check out this post, What is Zero Waste, What is the Circular economy? 

So, try to vote with your dollars, when you can, for a sustainable future. Supporting sustainable brands who prioritize eco friendly packaging is vital to other companies making that change.

3. outcry

And, last but not least, there’s public outcry — which is often where real change in environmental advocacy happens. Sometimes, companies are tone deaf. Sometimes they don’t care or they’re just really, really, really bad at communication. 

It takes a large group of people using their voices to condemn their practices. So many people reached out to Old Navy after this video came out about them destroying their clothes instead of donating. 

Sometimes, it takes a village to create change. Sometimes, it takes a village and an army. 

faqs about packaging and sustainability

does sustainable packaging really make a difference?

Yes, it really does. The entire packaging industry has been rocked by demands for eco friendly and sustainable packaging options. Companies are beginning to thrive or die based on their environmental policies.

Even Amazon has ‘sustainability features’ highlighted on their products now because people are beginning to look for more sustainable options, even when shopping from global marketplaces like Amazon.

Reducing packaging waste can improve a company’s bottom line, improve its carbon footprint, and meet consumer demands. Even a start as small as straws is making an impact!

what makes any given packaging eco friendly?

For starters, look for as little plastic as possible. Ideally, there will be none. However, any plastics they do have will hopefully be recyclable. Otherwise, prioritize cardboard or paper which are both compostable and recyclable.

Also, look for products that use minimal packaging. Have you ever opened a box only to find a ton of plastic bubble wrap, a loose paper wrapping, and then your tiny item? Which is usually shrink wrapped in plastic, packed in a plastic coated box, stuffed with Styrofoam, and wrapped in more plastic? The waste! Oftentimes, your item could have been put in a padded envelope and sent to you without even half of the waste.

I love packaging that inlcludes glass or metal containers because they’re so easily reused, bypassing a landfill or recycling facility altogether.

what are some of the newest innovative packaging concepts?

Eco friendly, alternative packaging options are on the rise.

Dell is introducing a plant-based alternative (made of mushrooms!) to packaging your electronics. This replaces the non-renewable, non-recyclable, non-biodegradable polystyrene of old.

Lush has thinned down their clear plastic bottles by 10%, saving thousands of pounds of plastic each year. They also offer a ton of reward programs encouraging people to save and return their bottles in exchange for a face mask. Then, they cut back on shipping pollution by recycling those bottles locally.

Method packages its cleaning products from plastic waste found in the ocean, putting that ocean pollution to good use.

Puma is re-packaging their shoe boxes to use less cardboard and eliminate tissue paper fillings.

And that’s just the beginning!

get involved

There are a lot of ways to get involved. However, it does take a little bit of action. Try writing a couple of letters this week. 

Once you get the hang of it, you can reuse the scripts and plug in different information. You can use mine for straws! Just change it to reflect your own personal anecdotes. 

It’s easy to feel helpless as one person, but we wouldn’t be seeing any of these awesome changes and policies being enacted if it weren’t for you!