Sustainable packaging for webshops: 8 steps you can take today
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
More sustainable packaging doesn't have to be a huge project. In 8 down-to-earth steps, you'll learn where the real gains are for your webshop: from rightsizing and recycled cardboard to tape, void fill, and upcoming regulations.
More sustainable packaging sounds like a big project: different materials, a different supplier, a new story on your website. In practice, the biggest gains lie in a few straightforward decisions you can make today — and almost everything that helps the environment also saves you money on shipping costs. Below are eight steps, with an honest look at the trade-offs. Because not everything is easily replaceable.
1. Rightsizing: making the box fit offers the most benefits
If you only do one thing, do this. Most webshops ship in boxes that are too large. This costs you three ways: cardboard you don't need, void fill material to fill empty space, and shipping costs for air. Carriers also often calculate based on volumetric weight: the volume determines the rate as soon as it weighs more than the actual weight.
The most effective form of rightsizing is the letterbox package. If your product fits through the letterbox, no one needs to be home, a second delivery attempt is avoided, and the rate is lower. For small items, a recycled A6 letterbox package (180 x 115 x 28 mm) starts from €17.95 per bundle; if your product is a bit larger, you'll need the A5+ variant (255 x 160 x 28 mm) from €24.00. If you're unsure about the size, our comparison of A6, A5+, and A4 can help.
How to approach it practically
Measure your ten best-selling products: length, width, height, weight.
See how many of them fit through the letterbox with some wiggle room.
Choose two or three standard sizes instead of seven: less inventory, less hesitation at the packing station, better purchase prices.
2. Recycled brown cardboard or bleached white?
White cardboard is usually bleached or has a white top layer: an extra processing step that costs energy and resources. For a standard shipping box, unbleached brown is almost always the sensible choice — the customer will put the box in the paper recycling anyway.
Yet white isn't always wrong. For gift items where the unboxing experience is part of the product, a white box can be worth the cost. Be honest then: that's a presentation choice, not an environmental choice. For larger items, a simple cardboard shipping box of 15x15x15 cm from €1.99 is often sufficient.
When it comes to cardboard, pay attention to one thing: only claim what your supplier confirms. Terms like "FSC-certified," "100% recycled," or "compostable" are verifiable statements, not vague descriptors. If you're not sure, don't put it on there.
3. Paper tape versus plastic tape
Paper tape has one big advantage: the customer doesn't have to peel anything off the box before it can go into paper recycling. This makes recycling easier. But it's not a miracle solution.
Situation
What works better
Light packages, dry storage, cardboard with normal coating
Paper tape (possibly gummed)
Heavy boxes, rough transport chain, damp or slippery surfaces
Strong plastic tape
Boxes you reuse yourself and seal multiple times
Practically speaking, often plastic tape
A box that tears open during transport is the worst-case scenario: return, new packaging, second trip. That outweighs the tape difference. So, test paper tape first on your heaviest shipment.
4. Minimize void fill — and be honest about bubble wrap
Void fill is often a patch for a wrongly chosen box. If you choose the size well, you'll need less of it. That's the real saving.
What remains must do its job. To be fair: bubble wrap protects fragile products better than paper. For glass, ceramics, or electronics, paper is often not enough, and a broken product is environmentally much more expensive than the film you saved. If you ship such items, a bubble wrap roll of 500 mm wide from €12.95 or a smaller roll of bubble plastic of 50 x 500 cm from €5.00 is simply the sensible choice.
The nuance is in the quantity. Determine what's needed per product group, and use no void fill at all for unbreakable items — textiles, books, personal care products.
5. Reuse boxes for B2B shipments
If you receive stock in sturdy boxes, don't flatten them for paper recycling. For shipments to business customers, drop shippers, or your own second location, a reused box is almost always acceptable, as long as you remove old labels and barcodes.
With consumers, it's more sensitive: some find it sympathetic, others sloppy. If you do it, include a note explaining why. If you still need new boxes for large or heavy shipments, a sturdy moving box of 480 x 430 x 330 mm (50 liters) from €3.50 is a box you can use multiple times.
Customers appreciate an explanation of how their order is packaged. Keep it factual:
Say what you do, not what you project. "This box is made from recycled cardboard" is better than "we package green."
Avoid absolute claims. Climate-neutral, environmentally friendly, or 100% sustainable demand proof that most webshops don't have.
Be open about what's not yet possible. "We use bubble wrap for fragile items because paper is not safe enough" builds more trust than a half-truth.
Provide waste instructions. Which part can go into paper recycling and which cannot? That helps more than a logo.
8. Keep an eye on regulations
Things are changing. Read up on this yourself instead of relying on summaries. Two things to know:
The European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). According to reports, this regulation will apply within the EU from August 12, 2026. Among other things, it talks about a limit on empty space in e-commerce packaging (often mentioned as a maximum of 50% in many publications). This means rightsizing will not only be a saving but also something you can be held accountable for. The precise requirements, exceptions, and transitional periods are in the regulation itself — consult it or a trade organization before drawing conclusions.
The packaging waste management contribution. If you introduce packaging to the Dutch market, you may be subject to a contribution and a declaration obligation, which in the Netherlands is handled by Verpact. There is a lower limit: the payment obligation only arises above a certain annual quantity of packaging material (50,000 kg per year is mentioned). This therefore does not apply to many small webshops and self-employed individuals. The exact rules and definitions can be found on verpact.nl and ondernemersplein.overheid.nl — rely on the official text, not a blog. Not even this one.
The good news: if you have steps 1 to 6 in order, you are already better prepared with smaller boxes, less void fill, and more recyclable material.
Want to get started with this? Check out our letterbox packaging to see if your products fit through the letterbox, browse our boxes for the right size, choose suitable envelopes for flat shipments, and supplement with protection and void fill material for what is truly fragile. Not sure which size fits? Email your product dimensions to info@verpakkingdeals.nl and we'll gladly help you without obligation.
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