#lilpackaging

As you know I’m all about recycling and preventing waste. I have been looking at ways to see if I can improve my packaging – at present I mostly use bubble wrapped envelopes and wondered if there was a plastic-free alternative.

Lil Packaging produce environmentally friendly packaging using  FSC® certified environmentally sustainable materials on all their products and they kindly sent me some of their packaging to try out. I was keen to try their Bukwrap – you know the cardboard wraps that the likes of Amazon use, so I have tried two different sizes, along with their small parcel boxes.

First Impressions

First, I noticed the quality is really good. I have noticed with boxes I’ve bought from eBay, that the sides don’t bend easily when forming the box and that they don’t necessarily marry up. This wasn’t a problem with Lil Packaging.

To me packaging is equally as important as my products, so making sure my notebooks arrive safely is key. Immediately I felt confident that Lil’s Bukwraps would give better protection compared to a bubble wrap envelope. They’re just sturdier.

The bukwrap

I sent this Mini Notebook (bit smaller than A4) inside a C3 bukwrap. I was worried that because my notebooks vary in size they could slide around inside the bukwrap – but that wasn’t the case. The bukwrap has internal flaps that wrap around my notebooks, bending to the size of the book, therefore holding it securely in place. No sliding. No damage. Perfect.

To seal the bukwrap, you just fold the packaging around the notebook, simple! I really liked that it had the removable sticky strip – much easier than a normal cardboard box. I think they look really professional too, especially the extra finishing touches such as the “Thank you for shopping with us” message.

Cardboard boxes

I send most of my items by Royal Mail, first class, signed for and Lil Packaging have a special section on their website for Royal Mail’s Large Letters and Small Parcels – which makes ordering nice and easy. I knew quickly which boxes I could order that would fit within the small parcel range.

There are lots of sizes to choose from, and the Lil Mail Happy logos on the boxes are a cute feature too – because we all love to receive happy mail!

A couple of things to consider

My notebooks vary in size and weight. Books are heavy and I know my P&P is relatively high already because of their weight, but it is what it is. (Or what Royal Mail charge me!)

Bukwraps are heavier than bubble wrap envelopes

Although some of my notebooks are still slim enough with bukwraps to fit as a large letter, the additional weight of the cardboard meant that for UK postage they went from ‘up to 250g’ (£2.50) into the ‘up to 500g’ weight bracket (£2.97); an additional 47p.

The bukwraps are thicker than the bubble wrap bags I currently use

This meant that depending on the notebook, the thickness of the book and the cardboard together meant they were no longer large letters and became small parcels. A standard large letter (up to 500g) (£2.97) could become a small parcel (£4.45) – that’s a £1.48 difference!

How it will work for me

Getting a balance between the product and packaging is key.

Although the bukwraps may not be a suitable cost effective option for mailing my ‘large letter’ products at the moment, they are perfect for mailing my small parcels e.g. multiple book orders, where the size and weight is not as easily affected.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I can remove bubble wrap packaging completely at this time, but who knows, if Royal Mail change their price / weight / size guides in the future it would be fantastic if I could make a complete transition to recyclable packaging only.

For now, I will start introducing cardboard packaging for my small parcels and encourage my customers (and to everyone reading this!) to make sure you re-use any bubble wrap envelopes and cardboard sleeves to help reduce waste and save money!