Ecommerce Packaging the Green Way: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Online auctions exemplify "the three Rs" of the green movement. Many sellers recycle or sell previously used goods, new owners reuse the old goods, and theoretically at least, consumption of new goods is reduced. But beyond the goods, there are also several ways to incorporate the green R verbs into the whole shipping package. And often, the greenest package choices are also economical ones.

Reduce
When it comes to the art of packaging, reducing materials is perhaps the most difficult of the R actions. Experience and clever thinking are often required to use less, rather than more, packaging material while still adequately protecting an item. However, generally, you can reduce packaging material by packing smarter, including using tape only where needed, using light weight filler and selecting the appropriately sized box for an item.