Compostable mailers are the future
For our sustainability management class, we’ve recently reached out to Fifth Express, a company that sells compostable mailers. One of our groupmates contacted Ms. Lee, the owner, via e-mail. We asked her to join us in an interview, to which she warmly responded!
Fifth Express is creating positive social and environmental impact. By allowing businesses the option to make their packaging compostable, plastic packaging now has a direct competitor. Back then, businesses couldn’t use sustainable packaging even if they wanted to because there were no practical alternatives being sold in the country yet. Now, sustainable packaging is at every business’ fingertips through Fifth Express. Remember, a package wrapped in compostable packaging means a package that’s not wrapped in plastic.
Fifth Express creates a positive social impact by letting consumers and the general public know that such a solution exists. The message is clear – there are alternatives to plastic if we look hard enough! Compostable mailers are also such a creative and ingenious solution, that other people might be inspired to create their own new, sustainable solutions!
I sure am inspired by Fifth Express. When we talked to Ms. Lee, she shared with us how she bought Fifth Express from the founders when she found out that the business was about to shut down due to internal issues. She felt too strongly against letting a smart and sustainable solution go to waste, so she decided to step up and buy the business. Honestly heroic. She didn’t have any indicators that the business would do well under her guidance – she only felt in her heart that she had to buy it because it was a solution she firmly believes in.
Fifth Express inspires me to try out other sustainable alternatives to plastic, not just when it comes to packaging. I want to cut out plastic as much as possible from all aspects of my daily life. I want to avoid receiving plastic with my takeout and I want to start patronizing businesses (especially local restaurants) that go the extra mile when packaging their products.
Now that I know that it is possible for businesses to not use plastic packaging, I want to reward the ones who don’t use it with my support as a consumer. Especially when it comes to e-commerce giants like Lazada and Shopee, I promise to pledge support to whoever can offer sustainable packaging solutions first.
