Hi! We've been making some changes at home and at work - in this business - to keep our product, processes and packaging as eco-friendly as possible.
Freya and my dad, Aurélie and Kai in St Mawes this summer.
Recently I have been trialling some new packaging for the rolled A1 background sheets - a totally cardboard alternative to cardboard tubes with plastic end caps.
Unfortunately, the alternative I tried out - a triangular cardboard tube to hold the rolled photography backgrounds - is not classed as a tube, and is also too long to post with Royal Mail on a second class service at £5.05, so it has to go with Parcel Force at almost 3 times the price. Stinger.
I've also had concerns about the safety of the product within the triangular parcels - they aren't as robust as the circular tubes, and have lots of gaps I kept trying to seal with tape. I have posted 10 orders with them and asked for feedback (and 4 more today as I hadn't ordered any more parcel tubes as I'd hoped I wouldn't be using them anymore!) and my concerns were valid, I've had to resend 2 orders - if they get wet in anyway the paper product is at risk.
So thats a no-goer. And a massive disappointment to me. It feels like a huge compromise but I can't expect people to pay £12+ postage on a £15 product. And I can't risk the orders arriving with damage from damp, or getting wet if left in a silly place by the postie.
Some of our new eco-friendly packaging options plus the unavoidable tube.
Of course I will keep an eye on new eco packaging and postal/courier options, but unfortunately I'm going to have to keep using the circular tubes with plastic end caps. Which are recyclable, but still, a massive compromise for me.
So, to regain some balance I have decided to officially support Surfers Against Sewage as a corporation. We give them £250 a year which goes towards administration, fund-raising, education and vital projects to help clean up our oceans including reducing plastic waste.
AND! I'm going to get a SAS raffle ticket for the next 10 orders I get - you could win £1000 cash, a surfboard, a GoPro, bikes, wetsuits and much more! All proceeds to SAS of course, more details here. Maybe you'll get one in your next backdrop order?!
My membership goodies shot on my SURF photography background, of course!
And please, if you have a parcel from me in a tube with plastic end caps - please reuse it as much as possible and then recycle the caps when you're done with it.
Everything else in our packaging is changing to 100% sustainable and recyclable - you will probably notice some changes over the next few months as we run out of the old stuff and replace it with new, eco-friendly versions.
Thanks for reading, and please do let me know if you hear of any nifty eco-friendly packaging ideas for my rolled photography backgrounds.
Can't help but share some pics of me and my babies enjoying the Cornish coast!
Sophie xx
My son Kai is a bit obsessed with dolphins and whales. I'd prepped them for disappointment, 'we might only see seals and cormorants', and then come along these little guys! So amazing, still makes me cry to see him so in awe.
Me and my lovely step-mum Debbie who runs Classic Sailing with my dad - they send people on amazing, traditional sailing holidays all over the world, teaching respect for nature and sharing her beauty with thousands every year.
