Recycle Week in the UK is an annual national campaign that’s designed to encourage people to recycle more, recycle correctly, and raise awareness about the importance of recycling for the environment.
It’s organised by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) under the “Recycle Now” brand, which is the government-backed recycling campaign for England.
This year, the theme was ‘Rescue Me! Recycle’, which was all about reminding people that many everyday items can be recycled but aren’t necessarily sorted into the correct recycling bins due to a lack of knowledge or understanding.
How are we doing our bit to improve recycling habits across the board?
Recycle Week reminds us that real change isn’t down to a few good deeds here and there. It’s about implementing new, more sustainable behaviours in the longer term. This is exactly what we’re aspiring to do here at Hallmark Labels by ensuring our paper-based products are made from recycled, FSC-approved board, and offering a range of other eco-friendly options for our clients, including biodegradable plastics, corrugated cardboard, recycled polyester, and organic cotton.
We’ve created a product portfolio that is significantly greener than, say, 5 years ago – and it hasn’t happened by chance. Keen to cement our reputation as a forward-thinking and eco-conscious clothing label and packaging manufacturer, our team has been working diligently behind the scenes for a long time now, researching viable eco-friendlier alternatives for use in our catalogue and proving to our buyers that these materials don’t just perform as well as their traditional counterparts, but have much less of an impact on the environment.
How to reuse our packaging products – and get your customers involved, too
We’re also big on encouraging our clients to reuse their branded materials wherever possible – because if we can squeeze a second and maybe even a third life out of our bags and boxes, it’s better for our buyers and their customers alike, right?
Here’s how to pitch this idea to your buyers: reusing branded packaging at home is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce waste and keep valuable materials out of landfill for longer. Every cardboard box, mailing bag, or piece of tissue paper has more than one use, it just takes a little creativity to see its potential.
You could encourage your customers to:
- Turn a study mailing box into handy storage for seasonal items, craft supplies, or paperwork. Plastic storage containers can be pricey, so if the item’s aesthetic isn’t too much of an issue, a branded mailing box can help to save a bit of cash (and if it DOES matter what it looks like, it can always be rewrapped or recovered to give it the desired look – anyone who loves upcycling will be keen to get into this kind of project!). Repurposed mailing bags and boxes are particularly useful in utility rooms, where delicates and accessories can often get lost.
- Keep mailing bags for future parcels or use them to store soft items such as clothing or fabric, perhaps in a wardrobe or under the bed, where things can quickly get lost and messy if they’re not kept in check! Even branded paper filler and tissue can be repurposed — it can be used to line drawers, wrap gifts, or form the base of a new arts and crafts project.
- Talking of which, custom designed packaging is always handy to have in the cupboard ready for the kids’ next craft session! Boxes can become castles, rockets, dollhouses – whatever they’re into right now. Sections of packaging can be cut out to create rustic-looking or graphic-style photo frames. And paper tissue and other filler items can be glued, reshaped, and even drawn on, saving your customers from using expensive shop-bought paper for artwork that’s probably going to end up in the bin.
- Swing tags are obviously the ideal size and shape for gift tags. They just need to be recovered in a paper or tissue paper of choice. If their design is attractive enough, they can also be used to add a bit of pizzazz to any wrapping design.
- Cardboard – especially corrugated cardboard – is great for keeping cords and charging cables looking neat around the home. Smaller boxes can be cut into sections to create drawer dividers, which are essential for organising socks, jewellery, or even stationery.
- Cardboard packaging is also surprisingly useful in the garden, so green-fingered shoppers will almost definitely benefit from its reusable properties. It can be used as a natural weed barrier, a seed starter tray, or even added to compost if it’s uncoated.
- Pet owners can give boxes a playful second life too, as dens, toys or scratching posts for cats, rabbits, or other small animals.
- It may sound a little ‘out there’ – but customers could even use a cardboard box as a laptop stand to improve ergonomics and make working from home a little more comfortable.
Encouraging the reusing of these products in this way will help to build stronger connections between your brand and your customers. If it’s something you’re keen to try, make sure you print a simple message on the packaging itself – something like “Reuse Me” or “Give Me a Second Life”. This will encourage your buyers to think twice before throwing something away. You could take this one step further by sharing creative reuse ideas online (it’s great user-generated content for social media) or even rewarding customers who show how they’re giving packaging another purpose (again, a brilliant idea for a follower competition on an image-driven platform like Instagram).
Every reused box or bag makes a small but meaningful difference. When customers decide to extend the life of their packaging, they help close the loop and turn what was once just waste into something genuinely useful again.
As a manufacturer or retailer, the best thing you can do is lead by example. We’ve put together the ultimate guide to reducing packaging waste within your business – have a read and see if you can implement any of this advice to boost your sustainability strategy and reduce packaging and shipping costs!
