Excerpt from an article that I read this week: In the U.S., 32 percent of the waste we produce is a form of packaging. http://tiny.cc/cYI9w
We are all responsible, and I wish we were all responsible.
To assist with the green effort, and with keeping my company products and operations as basic as possible, shipping and packaging includes:
– Kraft paper soap boxes, biodegradable. Hand stamped with the company logo (the goat in the logo is from Annie’s Goat Hill, a pen and ink drawn up by a wonderful artist).
– Shredded newspaper (mainly from the thousands of sale adds that seem to inundate us each and every day) – provides a wonderful cushion to products. Shredding the paper, long ways, seems to require even less packaging.
– Cellophane bags that enclose the products, keeping the shredded paper out. The bags are bio-degradable.
– Wooden crates (mainly sold in craft stores) containing gift sets, constructed by my husband from reclaimed wood. Much of the wood comes from quality pine pallets that we pick up (free for the taking). Some of the wood used for the crates comes from old barn siding and materials from dismantled older buildings.
– Cardboard boxes are reused for shipping if they are in decent shape, however, I do prefer the USPS Priority boxes because #1, they come to me free, #2, they are of sound quality. I have not checked yet, I hope the boxes are a product from green efforts as well.
– Simple, basic packaging. Nothing junky, clunky, yet allows the quality of the product to shine through.
– Natural and scrap materials are used for the bag ties.
If it can be reused in taste, I do so! Good basic soap…and good common green sense. It is a start!
Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps 
I was appreciating again your soap boxes as i had to open one and add the bar of soap to my soap dish. Used the last bar up already. I have saved the soap boxes they came in, not sure why. I love good boxes, but have limited myself to what I will save, there is only so much room to store empty boxes you know.
Your packaging is green and classy Mary. Love it, love the soap more ….
I use, reuse and recycle as much as possible. Just as you do.
Now if the rest of the planet would get with the program…….
And THAT’s what I love so much about you Mary…
Not just that you make the finest soap in all the universe (and I’m not exaggerating, but there is that one place on Jupiter that is in the running)…
and not just that you have such a wonderful conscience about the world and doing what is right…
and not just because everything you do and say smacks of plain old good common sense and sensibility…
should I go on?
but because you are so wonderful and unique as a sister, a woman, a business entrepreneur, and an individual. You just are the whole package and I’m proud to know ya.
We save the packing peanuts here since they’re expensive at Staples!
~*~Amy~*~
Good job, Amy!
Alix, I am speechless! And giggling! And I also thank you, you are a great friend.
Kathy, I am box keeper too. I end up with so many boxes in closets, and sometimes they do come in handy, don’t they? Thank you, too!
Becky, absolutely!