Sustainable Small Business Hacks
As a small start-up company trying to make the world a better place (one soggy paper straw at a time), there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make The Silicone Straw a sustainable brand.
Here are 5 things I do as a small business owner to help reduce the impact my business has on the world around me.
1. Reuse outer cardboard packagingReusing outer cardboard packaging is an easy and cost effective way to be more sustainable. All incoming goods such as straws, shelf boxes, cleaning brushes and general office supplies tend to come in perfectly good outer boxes! If the boxes are not too damaged I collect them and save them for sending out larger wholesale orders. And make sure they’re all taped up with plastic-free tape of course!
2. Manufacturing in the UK where possible
Manufacturing all straws, labels and packaging in the UK ensures that the direct carbon footprint of the straws remains as low as possible. All straws, labels and packaging material have not been flown or shipped halfway across the world before they become useful!
3. Plastic free packaging
The bright and colourful packaging of the 8 packs of rainbow reusable silicone straws is totally plastic free. It is common for card packaging to have a thin layer of plastic laminated to the outer surface to help keep the box looking clean. But we left this bit out of the manufacturing process to choose being green over looking clean!
When designing the packaging template for the printers I noticed that there was a lot of empty space that would have gone to waste. So I decided to use this space and save on waste. This extra card is now used as part of the manufacturing process to make business cards, gift tags and other promotional material. By using every spare bit of card, The Silicone Straw Company can reduce needless waste.
5. Nothing wasted
Occasionally there are small faults on the tin label stickers and so instead of wasting them I use these stickers to seal postage boxes. If you have received an order from me recently you might see that there is a slightly quirky-coloured sticker sealing the postal envelope together.
These are just some of the ways The Silicone Straw Company reduces its environmental impact behind the scenes. Do you have any tips of your own? Share them with me, I am always looking for ways to get a little bit greener every day.
