Our packaging and its eco-friendly credentials

Picture this. You’ve done your research, spent time, and maybe even decided to pay a bit more to buy a decorating product with a smaller environmental impact than traditional ones. The doorbell rings, the delivery person is there and you’re super excited to get started with your project, but then you see it. Some nasty plastic packaging. That’s a bummer, isn’t it? All that energy spent doing your part as a conscious consumer to then have to send some more stuff to landfill.

Well, if you order something from splat this will never, ever, ever happen – like, ever.

Why? Because there is absolutely no plastic in our packaging. And since being transparent is super important to us, let us now entertain you with all the relevant info about our packaging.

Features shared by all our packaging

All our packaging is manufactured in the UK, from a few different companies, which only use recycled or sustainably sourced paper, cardboard, and wood. Made in the UK means a smaller transportation impact, and we also make sure that our suppliers ensure fair working conditions for their employees. Caring about the environment and caring about people go together for us. Now, let’s geek out on specific items of packaging that you may encounter in your splat journey.

Cardboard boxes

Our cardboard boxes are made by a company called n.smith that has been making cardboard stuff in Oldbury for 115 years – that’s a lot of cardboard being produced. The boxes come in different sizes to suit your order size – we’d never send you a massive box for one tiny paint brush like some distribution company that delivers 45 million parcels per year in the UK whose founder’s name rhymes with pesos sometimes does.

Envelopes

This will be sad news for all the cats, but if you order something small, you’ll get an envelope instead of a box – however, a not-too-large cat could still fit in our largest envelope for the ‘if I fits I sits’ principle. Those said envelopes are made by a company called Priory Direct. It’s an amazing B-Corp, carbon neutral company based in Kent, that also donates a lot to charity. The envelopes are made from 100% recyclable and biodegradable paper, with absolutely no bubble lining – which might be another sad news for our stressed friends who find relief in popping bubble wrap.

Protective Packaging

We must take precautions if you and we don’t want to cry over spilt paint. That’s why we always ensure that your products are safely packed with different protective packaging according to their shape and size. As you may be able to guess, shipping paint is not the easiest thing in the world. Here is some photographic evidence of what can go wrong in paint delivery:

(Don’t worry, this doesn’t happen when you order a couple of tins – if you ever ordered a pallet and this happened, we feel you).

Moulds

To avoid spilling paint, we get some very cool moulds from Ezee Group International, a family-run business like ours, based in Northamptonshire. These moulds are supports that we put at the top and bottom of the paint tin to protect it from impacts. They are manufactured with 100% waste material and are compostable, biodegradable, recyclable and, if you feel creative, reusable. Oh, and if that’s not enough, it’s the only paint tin packaging ‘approved’ by DPD for carriage in their network.

Shredding

Since we said no plastic, bubble wrap is not an option, so we trusted our friends at Priory Direct once again to provide us with a solution. It just happens that they make the safest wood wool to fill voids in boxes and envelopes. It’s made of kiln dried wood shavings, and it’s recyclable, biodegradable, plastic free, and made carbon neutrally from sustainable sources. It’s also manufactured without the use of chemicals, which means that you can save a trip to the pet shop by using it as animal bedding. Sometimes, when we have enough of it, we replace this with our own cardboard waste.

Packing Peanuts

Sometimes the shape of the products you buy are just awkward. It happens, it’s okay – we love awkward things and people. When this is the case, people normally use polystyrene foam peanuts. Priory Direct don’t. They invented a biodegradable loose fill, made from gm free starch. These packaging chips say no to breakages by compressing softly around the goods, creating a protective barrier for your DIY products. And they do it greatly: they can withstand up to 50% more compression against standard loose fill.

Clips

To secure lids to the tin, we normally add three clips to the tin. In true Yorkshire fashion, we get those for free from our suppliers. They’re made of metal – once again, no plastic in our packaging. Sometimes we replace the clips with some strong paper tape, according to the type of tin.

Tape

Last but not least, we need tape to secure all your packaging. We use Priory Direct Eco Tape, a fully biodegradable and 100% plastic free self-adhesive paper packing tape made from sustainably sourced materials.

Bonus: our glorious stamp

We did our absolute best to protect the environment (and your products) with our packaging, but we felt that something was missing. None of these items comes branded. Since we also care about our own little brand, we decided to buy an old-fashioned stamp to brand our boxes and envelopes. Our stamp was made in Dorset by the family business The English Stamp Company. The wooden handle of our stamp is made of beech wood from a fast-growing tree, ethically sourced and grown within the EU. The stamp itself is made of polymer, not natural rubber. Compared to natural rubber, the process uses around 95% less electricity to manufacture stamps and produces about 67% less waste material. There are no noxious fumes produced in this process, unlike with natural rubber.

That’s all folks, we hope that we made the non-exactly-exciting topic of packaging enjoyable with this article. If you have an eco soul like ours, also remember to do your best for the environment – recycle your paint when possible, and only dispose of paint if it’s eco-friendly.

Find more eco-friendlier DIY solutions on our blog.