Online stores that ask for paper-only packs
These boxes suit online shops whose customers notice packaging waste. Refill and zero-waste stores, natural skincare brands, clothing labels and plant shops order them often.
Many of these sellers get emails from customers about plastic fill or foam. Switching to a paper-based box with paper inserts answers most of those messages.
If you sell mostly through marketplaces, the same box works there too. It ships flat to you and folds up at the packing table like any other mailer.
Other formats, from subscription boxes to plain shippers, sit in our shipping and subscription box collection. The same paper-first choices apply to most of them.
What makes this box lower waste
The main material is corrugated board, which is paper fiber. Inserts are paperboard or corrugated rather than foam or plastic trays.
Corrugated and paperboard are accepted by many curbside recycling programs. Rules vary by town and country, so customers should check what their local service takes.
We do not add plastic windows, and we suggest aqueous coating instead of film lamination. That keeps the box closer to plain paper.
Corrugated is also strong for its weight. A well-sized E-flute box protects most ecommerce products without a second outer carton.
Material choices and their lower-waste options
Every part of a box involves a choice. The table shows common options and the lower-waste version of each.
None of these choices turns the box into a different product. They simply keep the pack mostly paper from flap to base.
Pick the changes that fit your product. A brand selling glass candles may need a stronger insert, while a scarf brand can skip inserts altogether.
| Part | Typical choice | Lower-waste option |
|---|---|---|
| Liner | Bleached white liner | Natural kraft liner |
| Surface | Film lamination | Aqueous coating or uncoated |
| Inserts | Foam or plastic trays | Paperboard or corrugated inserts |
| Void fill | Plastic air pillows | Right-sized box or paper fill |
| Ink | Full flood color | One or two colors with open board |
| Sealing | Plastic packing tape | Self seal strip or paper tape |
Printing with less ink
A kraft box with a one or two color logo uses less ink than a full color flood. The brown board becomes part of the look.
White ink on kraft gives a clean logo without covering the surface. Pantone colors keep a simple design consistent across reorders.
Full color CMYK is still available if your brand needs it. You can also print a full design inside the lid and keep the outside light.
Large solid areas also need more coating to resist scuffs. A light design on kraft hides scuffs naturally, so coating can often be skipped.
Kraft or white liner
Kraft liner is unbleached and shows the natural brown of the fiber. Most lower-waste brands choose it because it looks the part and needs less ink.
White liner gives brighter colors and suits brands with a strong color palette. It is still corrugated board underneath.
If you are deciding between the two, our plain and printed kraft shipping boxes show how designs read on brown board.
Kraft shades vary slightly from batch to batch because the fiber is natural. Most brands see that as part of the charm rather than a flaw.
Paper inserts that replace foam
Foam and plastic trays are the parts most customers object to. Paperboard and corrugated inserts do the same job of holding items in place.
Slotted dividers separate bottles and jars. Folded paperboard cradles hold a single item off the walls of the box.
Inserts fold flat and ship with your boxes. Tell us what each item weighs so we can choose an insert board that holds it firmly.
For fragile glass, a corrugated insert with deeper slots gives more protection than paperboard. Our mailer boxes with paper inserts show the common layouts.
Telling customers how to recycle the box
A short printed line on the box helps customers dispose of it properly. Keep it factual and avoid labels or symbols you have not been granted.
We print only your own branding and plain wording. Third-party eco marks and logos are left off unless you hold the right to use them.
Clear, modest wording builds more trust than a green leaf icon. Customers can tell when a claim is vague.
Some wording brands print on the base or inside flap:
- Please flatten and recycle where facilities accept corrugated
- This box and its insert are made from paper
- Reuse this box for your next return
- Remove any tape before recycling
Closing the box without plastic tape
Plastic packing tape is often the only non-paper part left on the box. Customers then have to peel it off before recycling.
With a peel-and-seal strip built into the flap, the packer needs no roll of tape at all. A tear strip gives the customer a clean way to open it.
Tuck front and ear lock styles hold closed by their shape for many items. Details of the strip are on our tape-free self seal mailer page.
If you do need tape for heavy orders, paper tape is an option you can source alongside your boxes. It goes into the recycling with the carton.
Mailer or plain shipping carton
Branded tuck front mailers suit direct-to-customer orders where the unboxing matters. Plain cartons suit bulk shipments and heavier items.
Both can be made from the same kraft corrugated board. For a printed mailer built on the same idea, see our eco friendly mailer boxes.
Bulk cartons going to a warehouse or stockist rarely need much print. A plain kraft carton with a small one color logo keeps ink use low.
Ordering lower-waste boxes
Send your product sizes, quantities and logo, and tell us which lower-waste options matter most. Pricing begins at $0.30 per unit, and size, material, quantity and finish decide the final figure.
The free digital proof shows the box, any inserts and the print coverage. Revisions are unlimited, and you can get a quote for paper-based boxes online.
Tell us if you are switching from plastic mailers or foam-lined boxes. We will suggest the closest paper-based replacement for each pack.
Once you approve the proof, your paper-based boxes take 4–6 business days to make. Transit to your door takes another 2–3 business days. We cover the delivery cost to the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
