As the founder of noissue says “sustainable packaging isn’t about fancy new technologies; it comes down to mindfulness—both for businesses and their consumers”. The goal is making eco-packaging the new norm; and you, ready to impress your customers with your sustainable packaging?
We interview Josh, the co-founder of noissue, a brand offering sustainable packaging for any brand, no matter if you are a Fortune 500 company to a boutique shop owner. He explains to us the reasons for noissue to exist and all the impact they are making through their sustainable sourcing of the raw materials to their Eco Packaging Alliance program for brands to have a more positive impact! Without further ado, enjoy this conversation as much as we did!
Josh, what is your background and what got you inspired to kick off noissue?
I actually studied law and worked in finance for a couple of years… but to cut a long story short, when I was studying I started a brand making eyewear out of waste materials. When designing the packaging for the eyewear (which of course had to be sustainable) we had a few of our stockists ask us if they could help us out! That was our first foray into the packaging world and we very quickly realised there were not many providers focussing on offering environmental packaging options to small businesses in an efficient and cost-effective manner – and that is where we got the name noissue from!
What is the environmental mission of the brand?
Our goal is to make sustainable packaging accessible for businesses of all sizes. If we can make eco-friendly packaging the norm, that’ll push the conversation surrounding sustainability towards where it needs to be.
And what made you create a brand that was going to be affordable for all businesses: from a Fortune 500 company to a boutique shop owner?
Realistically, we wanted to make custom packaging available for small businesses because that’s where we started out ourselves. There are so many new, up-and-coming entrepreneurs that have fantastic branding ideas but haven’t been able to access custom packaging that we wanted to give them access to what the big guys have had for years.
What are the raw materials noissue uses to produce the tissues and eco-friendly packaging?
Paper is a renewable resource, but not all paper is created alike. How and under what conditions it’s sourced determines how socially and environmentally sustainable it is which is why we source our paper from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified forests, which ensures that the operation has the lowest impact possible. Our paper is also acid-free and we only use soy-based inks for printing our customer’s designs.
Paper is a renewable resource, but how & under what conditions it’s sourced determines how socially & environmentally #sustainable it is. At @noissueco we source our paper from @FSC_IC certified forests ensuring that the… Click To Tweet
Also important, what are the components you DON’T use that can be mostly found on packaging choices, and how do these negatively impact the environment?
Put simply, plastic. The packaging is one of the biggest culprits of single-use plastics because for the most part it isn’t integrated into a circular economy of reuse or regeneration. Once a package is delivered, typically the packaging itself is thrown away. So you’ve got all of this plastic wrap, plastic mailers, bubble padding, getting thrown into landfills, and just sitting there.
Packaging is one of the biggest culprits of #singleuseplastic because for the most part it isn’t integrated into a circular economy of reuse or regeneration: you’ve got all of this plastic wrap, plastic mailers, bubble padding thrown… Click To Tweet
What is the range of sustainable packaging choices you offer at noissue?
We currently offer custom tissue paper and compostable mailers. Our products take a lot of time to make it to market because we want to make sure we’re doing as much as we can to ensure their sustainability.
But that’s not it! You also have a super cool user-friendly tool for businesses to customize their packaging with their branding. How does this technology work?
Exactly! Typically when you want to order packaging, you have to go back and forth with proofs, dielines, designs etc. with the manufacturer before you can place your order. Designing from scratch is a pretty intimidating process, so we wanted a tool that was really intuitive and where you didn’t need to be a pro designer to create some really awesome packaging. Hiring an actual designer is an expense that a lot of small businesses don’t have room for, especially when they first launch.
Customers can either upload a finished design they have already created straight to us, where we will have a proof ready within 24 hours, or they can upload a file containing their brand elements to our design tool. We have a variety of different base templates to help our customers plan out their design, which they can then customize further in terms of pattern size and orientation. They can also choose from the whole range of Pantone to find the exact color they’re after. The entire process only takes three weeks, from when a customer first submits their design to when they receive their finished packaging. We also have a knowledgeable team on hand to help out if people are having any issues or want some design advice!
We see businesses have come up with really creative packaging designs. Is there been any that have impressed your team, and that showcase the out-of-the-box thinking that brands can aspire to with noissue?
It’s always amazing to see the designs that our customers come up with, and also the creative uses that people find for our tissue. We use our Instagram as a kind of hall of fame for those that really come up with something exceptional. We also have a ‘Case Studies’ section on our site, where we interview the founders of the brands we work with about their business and what makes them tick, and on what custom packaging has allowed their brand to achieve.
Your brand has also noissue’s planting trees! What is happening behind the scenes and what has been the impact so far?
We started our Eco Packaging Alliance to offer our customers a way of offsetting the impact of their packaging needs. They can contribute to global reforestation in areas of need by having us plant trees with each order in the area of their choice. We’ve now planted over 2800 trees across the world, from Haiti to Indonesia! Members of the Eco Alliance are given a badge to put on their website or in their physical store which marks them as a user of eco-friendly packaging. The feedback has been incredibly positive because small business owners tend to be very aware of their impact and looking for ways to reduce it. More and more consumers are also taking this into consideration with the brands they support, so creating a more official recognition of a business’s eco-friendly practices is a win for everybody.
Are there any upcoming new sustainable packaging solutions we should be aware of?
In January we launched our alternative to the plastic mailer bag. Our Compostable mailers are made of corn starch and are 100% compostable, both at home and commercially, and have gotten a fantastic reaction so far. But more often than not, sustainable packaging isn’t about fancy new technologies; it comes down to mindfulness—both for businesses and their consumers. What we’ve seen is that making the switch to sustainable packaging is seen as a real positive for brands from the reactions that they get from their customers. Social media has really allowed consumers to voice their concerns to the companies that they buy from, and one of their main issues is sustainability.
Is there a piece of valuable advice you’d like to give to other businesses trying to make a difference for good?
Don’t cut corners, do your research, and be patient!
If you could write a message on a big wall that the entire world could read, what would it say?
If not now, then when.
Finally, where can we find you and noissue worldwide…?
You can find us at noissue.co! We ship everywhere in the world within a 3 week period, regardless of the order size. To get an idea of what we can help you to create, check out our Instagram feed!
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