square item wrapped in recycled paper with a twine ribbon and decorated with a sprig of rosemary

Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Packaging - Our Commitment at Mayella

January 19, 2021

Many people are becoming conscious of reducing their waste and consciously buying from businesses that put the environment first. Because of this, plenty of eco-friendly alternatives are popping up.

The problem is, not all of them are as ‘green’ as they make themselves out to be, and in fact, there’s a lot of allowance for greenwashing products that actually aren’t safe for the environment at all.

“Greenwash” refers to the relatively new trend of businesses (and government bodies) promoting themselves and their products as ‘eco-friendly’ ‘green’ ‘sustainable’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ when this really isn’t the case. - Sustainable Gardening Australia

Biodegradable vs compostable vs home compostable

A perfect example of this is many of the biodegradable options that are currently available. They give the impression of being natural, implying they simply disappear back into the earth. The unfortunate reality is that even a plastic container can be labelled biodegradable (because it literally does break down over time). But in doing so, it creates loads of tiny microplastics, which is terrible news for the ocean, our sea life and the environment as a whole.

What people are generally hoping for is an item that is compostable meaning that it is made from organic matter that decomposes into a product that is safe enough to be reused as compost.

But this is where it gets tricky…

Some products can be compostable, though they still require a very specific environment to break down effectively. These are products like bioplastic cups or bowls and need an industrial composting facility to help them break down quickly and efficiently. So throwing them in your own compost won’t do the job, and they certainly won't break down easily if you throw them in the bin. So what you really really want is home compostable 🤯

As you can see, finding genuinely eco-friendly options is trickier than simply choosing products that have the right label on it.

It requires a lot of extra research and digging, asking lots of questions, and then some more, and then finally making a choice that we can be confident in. While it adds many more steps to the process, it’s simply one of our nonnegotiables at Mayella to keep our Mother Earth healthy.

We had some great feedback recently after sharing in one of our newsletters the steps we take to make our packaging eco-friendly and sustainable, so we wanted to share that information with you, too.

Here are some of the things we do at Mayella to put our planet first...

Consciously use less

Resuing and recycling are fantastic, but the best possible solution is to reduce or avoid. We package carefully and consciously, making sure your products are protected in delivery, while keeping packaging to a minimum. The less we all use, the less we all waste.

Keep as much out of landfill as possible

All the packaging, cardboard and materials that come through the Mayella warehouse are repurposed or recycled. We take the time to pull apart the pieces that need separating so that nothing ends up in landfill that can be avoided.

Use paper made from a certified sustainable source

Our tissue paper is made from sustainable sources and is FSC certified. FSC certification is the gold standard for wood that is harvested from forests that are sustainably managed, socially beneficial, environmentally conscious and economically viable.

Use home-compostable packing tape

Our clear packing tape is made from recyclable materials and it breaks down when it goes to landfill or into your home compost (meaning you don't need to find a specific facility for it to break down, as we explained in the first section).

“While all compostable products are biodegradable, not all biodegradable products are compostable.” - OceanWatch Australia

Print with non-toxic inks

Using biodegradable paper and tape is one thing. However, if they’re printed with inks that are harmful to the environment, we’re still using a product that is contributing to unnecessary toxic waste in the world. That’s why the inks on our tissue paper and personalised tape are printed with environmentally-friendly, soy-based inks.

Bottle our skincare in glass to protect our health and the environment

Our skincare is bottled in glass which helps preserve the contents and avoid the deterioration of the pure essential oils, plant nutrients and bioactive ingredients. It also means that the liquids aren’t sitting in any plastic so no nasties are leached into the precious products. Being made from glass means they’re also recyclable once you’ve finished using them.

three Mayella serums in glass containers lying flat on a marble bench next to slices of lemon

Pack our tisanes and nutritional products in 100% recyclable containers

The plastic tubs we use for our tisanes and nutritional products keep them as fresh as possible. They are made from HDPE plastic which is resistant to breakdown and mould and is 100% recyclable. They also make great containers to reuse at home for your pantry items, especially if you like buying from bulk bins (where you scoop out the amount you need rather than buying a pack).

mayella containers in a pantry reused for pantry staples and relabelled by hand above a shelf of tea cups

Work with ethical and sustainable suppliers and producers

We source ingredients from ethical and sustainable suppliers and producers and maintain personal relationships with them. This allows us to have open and honest conversations with them, bringing up questions as needed, helping us remain confident that their processes align with our eco values.

***

At Mayella, we have made a promise to Mother Earth to do everything we can to keep her clean and healthy.

When we say that our products are pure, organic, non-toxic and eco-friendly, we truly mean this on all levels, as we consciously avoid causing harm to the environment and to our health.

So we'd love to hear, was it helpful for you to read about our eco-packaging?

And do you believe more businesses should be held accountable to this standard? Let us know in the comments below.

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We would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the land and the traditional families of the Yugambeh region of South East Queensland, including the Kombumerri, Mununjali, Wangerriburra and others, and their Elders past present and emerging. We acknowledge and respect all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, paying our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.We pay our respects to the indigenous peoples of this world, to their leaders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that the earth we walk upon today was and always will be indigenous lands and in that honour. We will continue to support, protect and promote indigenous rights and freedoms.