Name of the Company: Lil Packaging
What they do:
Manufacturers and suppliers of a range of kraft paper-based e-commerce and postal packaging. The sustainable packaging lovers are a Cambridge company who believes that the right, sustainable packaging is key to business growth. Their website, along with being the point of sale, also serves as a platform providing e-commerce advice.
What they do well:
- The entire product range is biodegradable
- Products are material efficient
- Greener solutions have been found for all aspects of their products:
- Plant-based inks
- Rubber-based glue
- Kraft paper outers
What they could improve:
Lil Packaging has committed to a net zero future, however, their website doesn’t have any information about their current carbon emissions.
By providing this information, they can give customers more insight into their carbon reduction process and proof that they’re actually heading towards their goals.
What does their environmental policy say?
No official environmental policy, but a company dream to be ‘recognised as the business which removed single-use plastic from e-commerce’.
Their about page lists how the company operates and what makes their products sustainable, such as products with tear-strip openings and adhesive seals, both of which reduce the need for tape.
On the our story page, the company states their intention to be carbon neutral by 2030 as a part of the Amazon Climate Pledge.
Supporting this is a pledge to make as much of their kraft-based packaging from Forest Stewardship Council certified wood as possible, coupled with accreditation of EU corporate environmental business practice policies known as ISO 14001.
What can you learn from them?
A website loaded with product information and accompanying videos, Lil Packaging goes the extra mile with product descriptions. This is a solid tactic for retailers of sustainable products as it can help reinforce the importance of paying a little more for the enviroenment’s benefit.
As a company heavily marketing itself as sustainable, Lil Packaging are honest about aspects of their products that aren’t soo environmentally friendly.
Their Lil Kraft paper tape is a great example of this, where they admit that it currently comes wrapped in plastic, but that the business is working on reducing the amount of plastic used in packaging their own products.
What is the cost?
Often the cheapest when it comes to kraft paper-based packaging, however, Lil Packaging is significantly more expensive than plastic alternatives.
| Lil packaging product price comparison (sold by pack or wholesale – units per pack / wholesale differ) |
|---|
| Lil Packaging product | Pack | Single unit | Plastic / less sustainable alternative | Pack | Single unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lil envelope | £51.80 - £84.31 | £0.25 - £0.42 | Poly mailing bag | £42.77 | £0.042 |
| Lil bookwrap | £118.09 - £1,816.63 | £0.52 - £2.27 | Weather mailers | £0.162 - £0.477 | £0.00016 -£0.0094 |
| Lil eco-friendly mailing bags | £31.28 - £176.09 | £0.31 - £0.50 | Mail bag | £0.017 - £0.328 | £0.00005- £0.0021 |
| Lil mailbox | £72.88 | £0.90 | Postal box | £13.67 (sold by unit) | £13.67 |
| Cardboard boxes | £854.56 - £1,012.61 | £1.84 - £6.1 | E-commerce cardboard box | £263.40 | £4.39 |
| Lil tape | £124.84 | £3.40 | Buff packaging tape | £3.77 | £0.50 |
| Vinyl record mailers | £92.46 - £130.54 | £0.46 - £1.3 | Vinyl record packaging | £206.88 | £1.03 |
