Business and Packaging: How you can Save Money by Reusing Common Materials

With a bit of reorganizing, room for stockpiling used shipping material, a little creativity and some sweat any business can revolutionize its supply room. Save it, reuse it and encourage employees to find alternatives. Every business working with shipping supplies has a unique opportunity to contribute to a sustainable pro-business future.

Here are some useful tips to turn your business into a sustainable model:

Foster programs of used material exchanges with other local businesses. Build a digital network using a platform such as Google groups to post; claim and barter used packaging materials. Encourage a culture of mutual aid among local industries.

Wood shipping crates can be used by a creative small business owner in endless ways. Create retail displays, bookshelves, shoe racks, storage shelves and much more. A simple set of tools and a curious imagination can transform bulky wood palettes. Countless blogs online can guide your creativity and expand your ideas for recycling your leftover wood.

Invest in canvas bulk bags. If your business is spending too much on plastic bags or other disposable containers to transport goods, investing in canvas bulk bags can be a huge pay off. Canvas is durable, reusable and washable. 

Save tons buying used packaging materials. Many online sites and local stores offer packaging materials such as gently used boxes. As with everything sustainable, stay local. If your local search fails and your business area does not have a packaging supply store selling used materials, there are several online sites ready to meet the demand. On average, customers at shipping stores specializing in used materials save 50 percent on purchases. 

Save your Styrofoam! Save those packing peanuts and random bits of Styrofoam. In an ideal world, there would be no Styrofoam. Not only does its chemical properties often make workers who produce it sick, Styrofoam is a non-biodegradable petroleum based product. 

Shred old papers! Another way to contribute to the Earth in your business supply choices is shredding all of that wasted paper. For shipping, shredded paper can create a soft barrier without relying on Styrofoam or bubble wrap, both of which are petroleum based supplies. 

Even the small act of transforming old memos into notepads can save a bundle. With a paper cutter and elbow grease, a stack of print outs can be chopped into halves or fourths in no time. 

The info above is only a short list. Sustainable business models are a new frontier. Ingenuous employees can perfect all of these ideas. Start a dialogue in your workplace about how to conserve material and expenses all at once. Being a sustainable business does not have to mean divesting profit. As these examples illustrate, being a sustainable business can turn expenses into profit. 

What are the costs of not reusing supplies? More overhead is one cost. A greater cost is a business impact on the environment. A sustainable world is a sustainable economy and a gift to future generations. Don’t forget to brag about your businesses’ efforts to contribute to a sustainable world. Customers will appreciate a short message explaining their product is wrapped in reused materials as part of a campaign of conservation.