At Terra, one of our brand pillars is minimalist packaging that is as plastic neutral as possible. Over the years, we have migrated 90% of our products to plastic-neutral, with a goal of one day being 100% plastic free. While the journey isn't new to us, it is very difficult to source 100% plastic free packaging for all elements of our products, especially in 2020 with demand at an all time high. With that, we have set up micro goals to help keep us as sustainable and earth-friendly as possible. 

Micro goals for sustainable packaging that may work for you:

1. Migrate all plastic bottom bottles and jars to glass. Glass is re-loveable, recyclable and not harmful to the environment. When we first started Terra, our toner and many products where housed in plastic jars. Today, they have officially been migrated to glass (the bottom part). 

2. Eliminate excess packaging where possible. While we LOVE tangible packaging, it really must have a purpose. If the box isn't purposeful, like to provide extra information or to protect the product, then eliminate it! Our Beauty Bars are a great example of this. The box protects the product and provides ingredients to consumers. Once they receive the box, they can recycle it. 

3. Use tin or metal where safely possible. There aren't many cap options for bottles or jars. However, tin is a viable option available for some products. We are in the process of exploring transferring all our caps to tin or metal caps (where safely possible).

Are you a brand that is just starting the process to become sustainable and plastic free? Are you nervous about committing to glass right away? Here is a tip:

Start with the glass packaging, but order a simple, yet beautiful label. This will help test out the product, without creating a lot of waste. Whenever we launch a new project, we purchase labels that are earth-friendly and test them on glass packaging. If we fall in love with them, we then either keep the label or migrate to silk screen. 

We've been loving our products from Sticker Mule and their custom labels for jars​ are a fun and unique way to organize your bathroom and natural products. Check them out!

December 11, 2020 — Fernanda Gomes