All the pretty packages – Focus on Sustainable Packaging for Art
Sustainability and waste reduction is my goal. Pretty is irrelevant.
Everyone’s had the experience – ordering a tiny article from Amazon or elsewhere, and receiving it in an enormous oversized box with a ton of bubble wrap, or those bags of air. This makes me cringe.
Recently I watched a reel by an artist showing how she packs her prints. It all looked very pretty, but it was so over the top that it made my head reel. There were stickers and cards and sleeves and tissue and multiple shipping tubes and …. all of it brand new stock. And she went on about how important it is to her to source environmentally friendly packaging.
Reality check chick – if you are constantly buying new packaging and throwing out the packaging you get from suppliers etc. or wherever you can source used materials, and putting on stickers just because they are pretty and another sticker just to say “Open” on the end of the tube – you are not being environmentally friendly! (And who the heck doesn’t know how to take the plastic cap off a mailing tube anyway? Who actually needed that sticker???)
A small part of my stash of bubble wrap – waiting to be re-used.
I understand how nice it is to receive pretty things – but should receiving the art not be enough? Does the appearance of the outer box and padding materials really make your experience that much better? Sustainable packaging just makes sense. As long as it is safely and securely packed, as far as I’m concerned, the rest is irrelevant – a waste of materials and money. And for the buyer, that means their money – because all of that is just going to increase my costs. Believe me dear collector, if it costs me an extra $10 or $20 to make a package over-the-top pretty, you are going to be the one paying for it!
So here’s my view. We moved internationally 2.5 years ago – I have an enormous supply of heavy duty boxes and bubble wrap. Add to that the fact that we’re in a rural area and so much of my shopping is done online – I’m swimming in packaging materials. There’s no way I’m going to throw all of that into a dump, and then go and spend lots of money to buy new pretty packaging. If you purchase something from me you are almost guaranteed to get recycled packaging materials. I do buy a few things, and then when I do, I try to be environmentally responsible – minimal but good quality packaging with recycled content that hopefully is also recyclable or re-usable.
Yes, the customer experience is important – of course! Anything I send will be packed securely – probably over the top securely to keep it safe – because I’ve got all this packaging material here and that is an important thing. I do spend a bit of extra time to make things “fit” without making the packaging too big. I try to trim edges and make the recycled material look a bit nicer, so there isn’t rough or dangly bits.
Safely packing a small painting All recycled materials except the tape. I’m content to use a Sharpie to write “Fragile” – no special sticker needed.
You’ll probably also get a handwritten thank you note – my writing isn’t pretty but you know it’s personal. I’m unlikely to be sending it with a special sticker that says “Thank you” (unless I use the stickers that one of my suppliers gives me for free – and then I’m still going to send a hand written note.) OR, you might get one of my 1-of-a-kind painted thank you tags. I use these at markets – they hang on the side of my (recycled content) shopping bags. Shoppers love them 🙂
When you open your artwork or clothing – the final layer of packaging, well that will be a wee bit pretty. Tissue around the clothing with some pretty washi tape to close, so everything stays nicely folded, original paintings on paper matted or at least with a rigid backing board and in an archival clear sleeve. Framed paintings might not look so pretty with cardboard corners and tape across the glass. None of this is done in excess – they protect that special item you’ve been waiting for from damage.
So, if you need extra special pretty packaging to make you feel good – I’ve got to say, you’re shopping with the wrong artist.
How much is enough
Original painting in acid free mat, with Certificate of Creation. Both of these will be slipped into a clear archival sleeve with rigid acid free backing to protect the painting. The sleeve is plastic yes, one of my few concessions. But they are Acid and Lignin Free, with 10% Recycled content – it’s important to keep your new art safe.
I put my creativity and beautiful ideas into my artwork, and I try to keep costs down and be environmentally friendly when it comes to everything else. Storing the excess materials and making things “fit” and taking the time to make sure your product is safe – all of that takes a bit of time and effort on my part, but I think you’re worth it.
