Depop | Packaging FAQ

Read on to learn how they compare and see if one is the right shipping solution for your business.

EcoX Mailer: These flat mailers are great for shipping soft goods - apparel, textiles, and other flat accessories. They are made with 100% recycled 11pt paper. They are also surprisingly water resistant, so they are a great alternative to the poly mailer.

Padded Mailers: These cushioned mailers are great for jewelry, accessories, and other goods that need a little protection. They are constructed in such a unique way! Each side of the mailer is made with two sheets of recycled Kraft paper that sandwich shreds of recycled newspaper. This padding gives it structure and provides a layer of protection for whatever you are shipping.

We use the term “void fill” to refer to any cushioning, padding or paper you add to your shipping package in order to protect your goods in transit and/or create a beautiful presentation for recipients.

Consider the following questions.

• Are my products fragile?
• Are my products very heavy?
• Do my products have corners that could be subject to damage (i.e. books, postcards)?
• Does my package have significant excess space in it that could cause my products to move around and get bent, damaged or scuffed while the package is in transit?
• Is it important to me and my brand that my customers receive a package that is unique and enjoyable to open?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, void fill should likely be part of your packaging strategy. Corrugated shipping boxes are the most likely shipping strategy to require void fill of some sort because (regardless of what your product is) they are the most likely to contain excess air. But there are certainly cases where void fill isn’t needed. For instance, mailers do not typically require void fill.

Many companies wrap their products individually in GreenWrap (as you would with bubble wrap®). As you can see from the below, it's a beautiful finish. Some companies use GreenWrap more as a filler, lining their boxes with it to create a cushion or nest that they can place products in.

Tissue Paper

Tissue paper is not great for blocking and bracing; however, it makes for beautiful presentation and offers a layer of dust and scuff protection. It can be a strong addition if your shipper box fits your products snugly, but you want to add one layer of presentation for the recipient. Many companies actually use tissue paper to wrap their products before placing into their boxes or bags.

EcoEnclose tissue paper is made with 100% recycled material is fully recyclable and compostable. Check your local recycler's guidance on how to best dispose of tissue paper in your area.

Packing Paper

Packaging filler paper is used to fill space and offer full product protection, corner and edge protection, and presentation.

If you’re aiming to fill space, crinkle or ball the packaging paper up and place it in your box after you’ve added your products. If you’re looking to protect products, wrap individual products in sustainable packaging paper, add these to your shipping package, and then - if needed - add balled-up packaging paper to fill in empty spaces. If you’re looking to enhance the presentation of your products, wrap your items up with packaging paper (like you would a decorative wrapping paper) and consider using hemp twine or a sticker as a finishing touch.

EcoEnclose 40# Kraft Paper is the industry standard thickness and weight for void fill. A roll has 900’ and is made of 100% recycled material.

The 100% Recycled Stickers for Reusable Packaging are made of a 100% post-consumer waste uncoated paper facestock. Most importantly, they are delivered on EcoEnclose's unique and innovative Zero Waste Release Liner that is made of 100% post-consumer waste paper and is curbside recyclable with paper products.

A release liner is a material that carries a substrate with a pressure-sensitive adhesive until that adhesive is ready for its next step. It is sometimes called a backing or carrier. Silicone-coated supercalendered virgin paper is the material traditionally used for release liners, and these are either not recyclable or extremely difficult to recycle. A handful of manufacturers in the US have the equipment needed to recycle standard silicone-coated liners by separating the silicone from the paper so the paper can be recycled. More often than not, the landfill is where sticker release liners typically end up due to the materials used for most release liners on the market today.

When considering the end-of-life of a sticker, one must ask how stickers will impact the end-of-life of their primary packaging - that is, the item it is stuck to for its entire life.

Depop 100% Recycled Stickers for Reused Packaging are made of 100% post-consumer waste uncoated paper. When placed on paper packaging, the sticker and the packaging are easily recycled in the paper recycling stream.

In general, as long as the sticker does not represent a significant portion by size and weight of their packaging, it will not change the end of life of that packaging. However, they do introduce some contamination that - if they represent too large of a portion of the packaging by weight - could cause degradation of the reclaimed material. For example, if a plastic mailer is covered end-to-end with paper stickers, reclaimers will find it challenging to re-pelletize that plastic material. On the other hand, if a large plastic mailer contains a single 4x6" shipping label, the shipping label will have a negligible impact on the reclaimer's ability to pelletize the plastic mailer.

Using packaging a second time is one of the most sustainable packaging choices. Depop 100% Recycled Stickers for Reused Packaging are intended to be placed on paper packaging being used for a second time. Help your reused packaging stand out with an Depop-branded recycled paper sticker.

Post consumer waste refers to recycled content that is generated from items (often packaging) that has already been used. Post industrial waste, on the other hand, refers to waste scraps generated from a manufacturing line.

While all recycled content is ecologically preferred over virgin material, post-consumer waste should be prioritized over post industrial waste. Your demand for post-consumer waste triggers demand, investment, and innovation across the recycling supply chain, making it easier for manufacturers to work with post-consumer waste, enabling them to pay more for these recycled inputs, encouraging recyclers to get more of these good from consumers, which leads to an increase in our overall recycling rates. All in all, this helps us achieve our collective vision for a circular economy.