Economical and eco friendly packaging

[earlene]

I have soap wrapped in paper and bound by ribbons that have been stored that way for a good 3 or 4 years and they are holding up just fine. Of course our humidity is not what it is in the Phillipines, but I think it depends on the type of paper used, too. I was using any paper available to me. The one that doesn't hold up is thin tissue paper, the kind used for wrapping gifts or presents (weddings, birthdays, Christmas, etc.) The humidity gets to that paper pretty fast.

But craft paper, thin decorative paper and plain newsprint paper holds up pretty nicely even when the humidity rises and drops repeatedly. Still, I don't live in a monsoon-type climate. And my recipes are probably somewhat different, and I am sure that is a factor as well.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I've switched to glassine bags for soap and lotions. They biodegrade faster than the cardboard and paper boxes and there's no plastic. You can even put them in the compost bins. I ordered the larger sandwich bags for the soap and just cut them down to size and got smaller ones for the lotion bars. I do have tins for the lotion bars if requested and people who have bought the Lotion in a tin can then order just a refill that I give them in the glassine bag later. I'm trying to switch to a completely sustainable business and have everything be either compostable, reusable, or recycleable. I even re-purpose my oil buckets into chicken waterers for those local to me.

 

[Elizabeth Driver]

I've only now started to think about whether there are any cheap yet eco friendly (biodegradable preferably, we don't have facilities for recycling many things yet in the country) options for packaging soap, other than what I use currently.

I recycle the brown paper bags from the supermarket for friends and friends of friends. My extended family receives their soap wrapped in my teenager's old school papers, clean side touching the soap (they'll unwrap and use once they get home anyway lol so I'm not too worried about the ink from the other side).

I currently don't use any tape or glue, but I'm searching for biodegradable alternatives to both.

Anyone has suggestions for better packaging?

By better I mean it would look nice yet still kinda rustic.. Won't be as time consuming as cutting paper to size and wrapping the soap.. Would not up my costs too much.. Would not need additional bags of any kind if they're getting more than one piece.. Yet still be something I won't worry about people just throwing away.

Or am I asking for too much? Haha

Since we're here.. Any ideas for lotion bars? Tins n jars are there but they're not that cheap....

I have the same question about packaging - I want to be eco friendly, and so many people want to avoid plastic - but I only use EO’s in my soaps - and I find the scent often so mild.....that I think plastic wrap is the only way after curing to preserve their scent....What did you end up using?

I switched to glassine bags and jute twine for my lotion bars and my soap. I wanted everything to be completely biodegradable.

How do you find the glassine bags for helping soap keep their smell? And can you smell through the glassine to know what the scent is like? Thx,

 

[Dawni]

I have the same question about packaging - I want to be eco friendly, and so many people want to avoid plastic - but I only use EO’s in my soaps - and I find the scent often so mild.....that I think plastic wrap is the only way after curing to preserve their scent....What did you end up using?

Still just paper. I use only EOs too. I'm looking into biodegradable plastic, made of cassava but it'll up my costs a bit. I'm probably due for a price increase anyways, from my into prices but I haven't tested them, sorry.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@Elizabeth Driver not @CatahoulaBubble, but I use both glassine bags and tissue paper to wrap soaps. I can barely smell scents through the glassine bags, but can easily smell them through the tissue paper I’m using.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

The glassine bags keep the scent in quite well. You can't really smell the scents through the bags. I always have a tester bar available if people want to smell the scent. I use glassine for my lotion bars as well but I sell a tin with the Lotion bars for $1 more if people want a tin. What I find is what most people buy is a few lotion bars and then a tin to refill with the lotion bars.

 

[Christine McKnight]

I’m just starting out and I’ve made some lotion bars using wax from my bees and I’ve decided to get tins for mine. I want to be able to keep a bar at work, but I work in a workshop office and it can get a bit grubby at times. Also I can keep a bar in my bag if it’s in a tin and it won’t get covered in bits of fluff, etc.

 

[Lin19687]

I have the same question about packaging - I want to be eco friendly, and so many people want to avoid plastic - but I only use EO’s in my soaps - and I find the scent often so mild.....that I think plastic wrap is the only way after curing to preserve their scent....What did you end up using?

Use cardboard boxes, they can be recycled and have a hole to smell through

 

[aquamorgan]

I've only now started to think about whether there are any cheap yet eco friendly (biodegradable preferably, we don't have facilities for recycling many things yet in the country) options for packaging soap, other than what I use currently.

I recycle the brown paper bags from the supermarket for friends and friends of friends. My extended family receives their soap wrapped in my teenager's old school papers, clean side touching the soap (they'll unwrap and use once they get home anyway lol so I'm not too worried about the ink from the other side).

I currently don't use any tape or glue, but I'm searching for biodegradable alternatives to both.

Anyone has suggestions for better packaging?

By better I mean it would look nice yet still kinda rustic.. Won't be as time consuming as cutting paper to size and wrapping the soap.. Would not up my costs too much.. Would not need additional bags of any kind if they're getting more than one piece.. Yet still be something I won't worry about people just throwing away.

Or am I asking for too much? Haha

Since we're here.. Any ideas for lotion bars? Tins n jars are there but they're not that cheap....

I am the same, I want zero waste packaging. Instead of glue, you can use rice and a bit water — natural glue.

 

[newlife]

I wrap my soaps in paper I cut from paper pad used for scrapbooking. I used to be able to buy the 8 1/2 X 11 pads but they are few and far between now. Most are 12x12. The 8 1/2 x 11 were easier as I just had to cut in half to fit my soap. This is not cardstock but paper. Cardstock was too thick. I wrapped as you would a present with double stick tape but had to hot glue the ends as they would come undone. I then put a belly band on. Easiest way for me right now as I didn’t like shrink wrap. You can smell the soap in the paper wraps. See the attached photo