As an e-commerce business, packaging is a key component of the customer journey. Ridestore’s mantra is to always exceed the customer’s expectation, and so this led to a collaboration with Billerud on a sustainability mission. Considering the inconsistent availability of plastic recycling in Ridestore’s markets, removing plastics sent to the customer was the goal, as well as to reduce the overall packaging material. Could this be achieved while also reducing emissions and improving the unboxing experience?
Three collaborators in a drive for change
As a partner, Billerud has extensive knowledge and experience. In the Ridestore project, we helped connecting the dots: we knew the right converting partner, and we had the right knowledge about the pros and cons of different solutions. We also contributed with a third-party LCA and a strong sustainability profile. It was a complicated process taking into account bag design, printing solution and logistics as one interconnected operation to achieve maximum productivity. All three companies were deeply involved in getting it right. A shift from plastic to paper is a big thing for any brand owner so Ridestore had to think through the whole packaging process and work actively for a change that performed well in every aspect. In this process, Tingstad played an important role because of their great experience in the e-com industry. They knew exactly what solutions were possible, not only for sustainability, but for creating packaging that works with high runability. Together with Jonsac, an experienced converter and part of Tingstad Group, the products were developed successfully.
Reducing plastic littering and landfill
For Ridestore, acting responsibly and minimizing plastic littering and landfill was paramount in the process. But an LCA, carried out by the reputable Swedish RISE Institute, reinforced their conviction that a switch to paper packaging would be the best solution. The third party LCA added trustworthy CO2 calculations covering the whole product life cycle and showed that you can fight climate change with paper bags, and that bags made of brown or white Xpression E-com paper have a lower CO2 footprint than a standard solution plastic bag.
This LCA was the missing piece the company needed to make a paper based solution the obvious choice, according to Ridestore.
