Eco-friendly packaging
Eco-friendly packaging at Tria means paper-based boxes, bags, tubes and inserts designed to go in the recycling bin as mixed paper, plus a compostable mailer with film certification documentation supplied with the quote. The most honest pick is an unbleached kraft mailer printed with water-based ink and left uncoated, because there is nothing on it to separate. Most styles start at 200 units.
Paper-based and compostable options
Which one do you need?
| You need | Pick | Why it holds up | Minimum | Lead time after proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A shipping box | Eco kraft mailer box | Unbleached corrugated, water-based ink, no coating | 200 units | 10 to 12 business days |
| A retail carton | Kraft folding carton | Natural unbleached kraft board instead of white SBS | 300 units | 10 to 12 business days |
| Something to hold a bottle or jar still | Molded pulp insert or paperboard insert | Paper fiber instead of foam | 200 units | 10 to 14 business days |
| A soft mailer for apparel | Compostable mailer | PBAT and corn starch film, certification documents with the quote | 200 units | 10 to 12 business days |
| A carry bag for a shop or event | Kraft paper shopping bag | Natural kraft paper with paper handles | 200 units | 10 to 12 business days |
| A container for a stick, roll or small gift | Paper tube or push-up lip balm tube | Spiral wound paperboard; the lip balm tube is plastic-free | 200 units (tube), 500 (lip balm) | 10 to 14 (tube), 12 to 14 (lip balm) business days |
What quietly makes a box harder to recycle
The board is rarely the problem. The add-ons are. A laminated film, a PET window, a foam insert and plastic tape each turn a paper box into something a customer has to take apart, and most people will not. If the green story matters, skip soft-touch lamination on kraft, use a paperboard insert or molded pulp instead of foam, and print with water-based ink.
Some of our range is not on this page on purpose. Foam inserts, laminated rigid wraps, foil pouches and poly mailers do their jobs well, but we would not sell them to you as the eco option. Poly mailers can be made with recycled-content film on request, with documentation supplied with the quote, which is a real improvement but a different claim.
The claim you print matters as much as the box
A box that says eco-friendly on the base is making a general environmental claim, and the FTC Green Guides tell marketers not to make unqualified general claims like that (16 CFR 260.4). Print the specific thing you can back instead: recyclable as mixed paper, printed with water-based ink, or recycled content when the board supplier documents it. Our guides cover which claims you can back, mailer box claims and compostable mailer certifications. This is packaging guidance, not legal advice.
How an order works
- Send a brief. Product size, quantity and where the packaging goes. The quote and a dieline drawn to your size usually come back within one business day of a complete brief.
- Feel the materials. The Swatch Book of boards, wraps and finishes is free, so you choose a stock with it in your hand.
- Artwork. Drop your art onto the dieline, or use our free design help if you do not have files yet.
- Approve the proof. The complimentary digital proof usually follows within one business day of the artwork. Printed proofs and physical prototypes are available on request. Nothing is produced until you approve.
- Production. Lead time is counted from proof approval: labels 5 to 7 business days, most boxes, bags and pouches 10 to 14, rigid boxes 10 to 18. Each product page states its own.
Questions about eco-friendly packaging
How is this page different from your eco claims guides?
This page is the shopping list: which Tria products are paper-based or compostable and what each one costs you in minimum and lead time. The guides cover what you can print on them. Start with eco packaging claims you can back before you finalize artwork.
Eco kraft mailer or regular kraft mailer: which should I choose?
The eco kraft mailer is locked to water-based ink, one or two colors, and no coating, so the whole box goes in with mixed paper. The kraft mailer can take full color inside and out, which is the right call when the artwork matters more than the claim.
Can I print recycled content on my box?
Only when the board supplier documents it. Ask for it on the quote and we will tell you what documentation is available for the board you chose before you put a claim on the artwork.
Is the compostable mailer certified?
The compostable mailer is made from a PBAT and corn starch film blend with a compostable seal strip, and certification documentation for the film is supplied with the quote. Read the compostable mailer certifications guide before you print a composting claim.
What is the most eco-friendly insert you offer?
A die-cut paperboard insert or a molded pulp insert pressed from recycled paper fiber. Both are paper fiber, so they go out with the box instead of being pulled out and binned like foam.
What is the minimum for eco-friendly packaging?
Most styles on this page start at 200 units. The kraft folding carton starts at 300 and the push-up lip balm tube at 500, and each product page states its own minimum.
Ready to price a lower-impact pack?
Tell us the product and how it ships, and we will quote the paper-based option alongside anything you already use. Free Swatch Book, free design help, free digital proof.