This edition will feature:

• Eco Spotlight -Is LDPE recycling greenwashing? Do the markers ring true
• Packaging Heroes - Unboxing Bamboo Clothing 
• Proud to be B - B Corp of the Month - Making your morning cup of coffee more sustainable
• Brighten your day - Discover how Autumn leaves make a healthier environment

Eco Spotlight

The question we've been looking at this month is Are LDPE Recycling Markers greenwashing? The truth about LDPE recycling in the UK..

Many brands discuss the recyclability of their products, but the reality can be quite different. For instance, poly mailers, often labelled as recyclable and eco-friendly, have come under scrutiny, especially when it comes to LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) plastic.

Plastic, including LDPE, is a versatile material used in various industries, including ecommerce packaging. However, the UK faces a significant challenge in recycling LDPE. Despite the booming ecommerce market and increased packaging demands, the recycling rates in England have remained stagnant, with limited capacity to recycle LDPE soft plastics. A startling fact is that less than one-third of the necessary capacity exists in the UK to efficiently recycle LDPE.

The current UK recycling infrastructure doesn't adequately handle LDPE waste, with limited local authority collection for LDPE plastic film. In fact, a significant portion of plastic recycling from the UK is shipped overseas due to the domestic infrastructure's limitations. While LDPE packaging is popular, recycling rates for LDPE, especially soft plastics, are disappointingly low, with over 95% ending up in landfills or the open environment.

In contrast, over 95% of paper packaging can be recycled, with a recycling rate of 71% in the UK. Paper recycling infrastructure is well-established and accessible. The solution lies in reducing plastic usage and opting for more sustainable packaging choices like paper and cardboard, such as paper mailing bags or cardboard boxes. Choosing paper over LDPE not only benefits the environment but also contributes to a more sustainable future.

Get to know your recycling symbols

The increasing shift to recyclable packaging presents a prime opportunity for environmentally responsible choices. Recycling symbols and labels, which are becoming more prevalent, hold the key to making a positive impact on our environment. To demystify recycling, let's start with paper and cardboard, widely known for their recyclability.

Key symbols to look for, such as the Mobius Loop and resin codes, which provide insights into materials' recyclability. Plastics, labelled with numbers from 1 to 7, vary in recyclability, with PET #1 and HDPE #2 being highly recyclable.

Compostable symbols, differentiated between industrially and home compostable materials, and delves into the significance of symbols like the Green Dot and the ''Tidyman'' Symbol. Recycling instructions on product labels are crucial to ensure proper disposal. Understanding these symbols empowers individuals and businesses to make eco-conscious choices and communicate their commitment to sustainability to customers. 

Packaging Heroes

In our latest unboxing video, we're thrilled to showcase Bamboo Clothing, a true sustainability champion. Join us as we unravel their story and the eco-conscious choices they've made, including their preference for Priory Elements sustainable paper mailing bags.

Discover how these thoughtful packaging solutions not only align with their values but also contribute to the greater cause of reducing environmental impact. We're excited to share their journey, making it a testament to the positive change we can create in the world of packaging.

Proud to be B - B Corp of the Month

We're delighted to shine a spotlight on Jimmy's Coffee as our B Corp of the month. Their commitment to sustainability is truly inspiring. They source all their coffee from hand-picked, single-origin, Rainforest Alliance certified Arabica Coffee in Colombia, not only ensuring quality but also promoting ethical and environmentally responsible practices.

What's truly remarkable is their pioneering approach to packaging. Jimmy's Coffee champions infinitely recyclable packaging, introducing the UK's first resealable, aluminium BottleCan™ and 250ml SlimCans, ensuring all their packaging can be infinitely recycled and back on the shelf in just 60 days. Their dedication to eco-conscious choices aligns perfectly with our mission, making them a standout B Corp of the month.

Brighten Your Day

As autumn settles in and garden cleanup begins, consider leaving your leaves in place this season for a range of environmental and garden benefits. Not only do fallen leaves provide a habitat for important soil creatures, but they also enrich your garden's soil by slowly breaking down into essential nutrients like carbon, nitrogen, and minerals. This natural mulch acts as insulation, reducing soil erosion and saving water. You can even use leaves to enrich your compost, reducing waste and producing nutrient-rich soil for spring.

By letting nature take its course and leaving the leaves, you're contributing to a healthier environment and more vibrant gardens. This fall, make the choice to let the leaves stay and witness the positive changes in your garden come spring.

Christmas is just around the corner and the most wonderful time of year can also be one of the most wasteful. With an estimated 50,000 trees needed to make the over 100 million rolls of wrapping paper[1] used over the festive period in the UK alone, your choice of wrapping paper should be about more than what co-ordinates with the baubles on your tree and instead the focus should be on how environmentally friendly it is and whether it can be recycled or not.

With a nation of more sustainable savvy shoppers, recyclable Christmas wrapping paper is widely available this year from a whole host of retailers – but who comes out on top? We’ve compared the most popular festive wrap sellers to see who’s going to be Christmas number one in the eco wrapping paper charts:

B&M

B&M are famous for their bargains, and their Christmas wrapping paper is certainly no exception here. At just £1 for 12 metres of wrapping paper, it’s certainly the cheapest we’ve seen. However, the real cost comes at the expense of the planet as none of the low-cost wrap can be recycled. When we asked B&M why, they explained it was due to the combination of materials used and advised that availability of recyclable wrapping paper options is something they’re looking to improve on.

Paperchase

A stationery supplier who are, in their own words, ‘keen to be green’ it may come as a surprise that only just over half of their Christmas wrapping paper can be recycled. Shiny foil wrapping paper is Paperchase’s downfall and unfortunately makes up a not insignificant amount of their range. It is a shame that a retailer with sustainability supposedly so high on their agenda needs to stock so many different types of unrecyclable foil wrapping paper when alternatives are easily available. Even more so that the foil options are mainly aimed at children – and even the most angelic of children are really only interested in what’s underneath the paper.

WH Smith

As usual, WH Smith have a huge range of Christmas wrapping paper this year with almost 60 different patterns available. 60% of the wrapping papers are recyclable which does raise the question why stock more than the 35 recyclable papers as that number still offers a comprehensive range to shoppers. WH Smith are also stocking wrapping paper which is decorated with biodegradable glitter which is a great swap – however these papers aren’t recyclable. So close yet so far!

Next

Next have been silently making moves with their sustainability journey and have already achieved a 50% reduction in their carbon emissions and diverted 97% of waste from landfill, so our expectations were high when it came to the eco credentials of their wrapping paper. Almost 80% of Next’s wrapping paper is recyclable this year, with their foil-based luxury wraps letting them down. Whilst wanting a premium looking and feeling wrapping paper is understandable, it shouldn’t come at a cost to the planet as even just a thicker paper can translate the luxury look and feel without contaminating the paper with unnecessary extra unrecyclable materials.

John Lewis

For many of us, watching the John Lewis Christmas advert marks the start of the holiday season, it’s safe to say we expected them to take the festive period seriously – and we weren’t disappointed. With their sister brand Waitrose leading the way with eco-friendly package free food shopping, they clearly understand their responsibility to influence consumer behaviour for the better, and as such, John Lewis and Waitrose have ensured all of their Christmas wrapping paper is fully recyclable. They’ve also ditched glitter this year to guarantee the recyclability of their paper, proving they are a conscious retailer wanting to help their customers make better choices for the future of our planet.

Marks & Spencer

Taking home the prestigious Christmas number one this year is Marks and Spencer. And if you’re wondering how you top John Lewis’ offering of only stocking fully recyclable paper; M&S have the answer - going plastic free. Recognising that not only is the used wrapping paper a source of waste but the plastic the paper is wrapped in is as well, M&S have made the decision to bare it all and are opting to add an extra 15cm of paper to every wrapping paper roll to limit any damage instead. And they haven’t stopped there – they’ve also included reusable wrapping paper in their range this year. It is quite pricey coming in at £12 for just two wraps, so it may not be the most practical for those who are particularly generous at Christmas time, but... it’s £12 for 2 wraps for life... so definitely a step in the right direction.

The Upshot

Sustainable wrapping paper solutions are far more accessible ahead of Christmas 2021 as retailers are taking their responsibility to the environment more seriously this year – although some are more than others. The most important thing to remember here is that buying recyclable wrapping paper isn’t job done, it’s making sure you and your family and friends knowing it’s recyclable and acting accordingly – don’t forget to do the scrunch test!

Don't forget, we're running other great promotions exclusively on our affiliate programme, offer 10% commission for new customers, as well as free next day delivery on orders over £250 - if you haven't already, join us today!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Priory Direct Affiliate Team

Chloe Winsper | cjw@priorydirect.co.uk | Lauren Churcher | lrc@priorydirect.co.uk

References

[1] https://pebblemag.com/magazine/doing/5-reasons-why-its-time-to-bin-the-wrapping-paper-this-christmas

With the festive season fast approaching, as a nation we’re set to make up for the disappointment of last year which will see even more gifts being exchanged than ever before.

Over 100 million rolls of wrapping paper are used every single Christmas in the UK alone, all of that paper has to go somewhere. But with it roughly equating to over 227,000 miles worth of paper from around 50,000 trees - it’s safe to say that if your Christmas wrap can be recycled, it should be.

But of course, this raises the question, how do you know if the wrapping paper you receive can be recycled? The good news is there’s a simple test:

The Scrunch Test

The quickest and easiest way of knowing if wrapping paper is recyclable is by doing the scrunch test. If you can scrunch wrapping paper into a ball and it stays scrunched, it can be recycled normally with your standard paper recycling provided there is no glitter on it. If the paper can’t be scrunched or springs back open, it can’t be recycled – this is because there’s plastic or foil content in with the paper.

Just remember: if you find your wrapping paper to be recyclable, remove any plastic tape, tags, bows, or ribbon attached to the paper as this will prevent the paper from being recycled.

Stick or Twist

If you’re making the effort with researching and buying recyclable wrapping paper, then don’t ruin it by putting plastic tape on it – particularly if the thought of separating plastic tape from wrapping paper on Christmas morning isn’t appealing to you, then ensure you use, and encourage friends and family to use, paper tape.

As the name suggests, paper tape is made from paper instead of plastic and can be recycled along with the paper or cardboard it’s stuck to – no separating needed!

The Upshot

Recyclable wrapping paper needs to be a non-negotiable for the season of giving and beyond, and paper tape needs to be too to ensure the hard-work doesn’t go to waste – literally.

Just remember – if it scrunches and stays then you’re good to go!

Don't forget, we're running other great promotions exclusively on our affiliate programme, offer 10% commission for new customers, as well as free next day delivery on orders over £250 - if you haven't already, join us today!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Priory Direct Affiliate Team

Chloe Winsper | cjw@priorydirect.co.uk | Lauren Churcher | lrc@priorydirect.co.uk

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