Packaging Matters

As a company, we take lots of decisions every day. Some consciously, some unconsciously and some intentionally. And one such decision, a conscious one, was to use as much environment-friendly packaging material for all Bunte Markhor deliveries as possible.

This decision led to choosing packaging materials that are kinder to our planet. And let’s be honest - it’s a difficult commitment for any startup as the costs for eco-friendly materials are much higher, sometimes up to a 100% more. But we decided to do it, for a better future for all of us. Also, we are hopeful that when more people choose eco-packaging, manufacturers will be able to take advantage of economies of scale and pass the cost reduction on to retailers like us. Until then, we will try and persevere.

Does that mean we never use plastic in our deliveries? No, unfortunately that is not the case. However, we do not purchase plastic for packaging. We up-cycle whatever comes to us in our own various personal orders, or through our handful of glass and ceramic suppliers. Nevertheless, at least 90% of our packaging is environment friendly, and we are excited to share with you the alternatives we have chosen to achieve this, to make Bunte Markhor BETTER.

DELIVERY BOXES

For deliveries, we use small, medium and large sized cardboard boxes. Although they are recyclable, we strongly recommend our customers to reuse it for storage in their homes and offices. They are sturdy and can be repurposed in many different ways. 

Here are some ideas:

• Turn empty boxes into clothing or makeup storage by covering them in fabric or wrapping rope around it.
• Dress it up as a luxury cat bed.
• Make stow crates with very visible labels, using frames and chalkboard paint.
• Build It into a play kitchen; your kids won't expect another toy to come out of that big box, so this will thrill them!
• Use an old sweater to instantly dress up a plain box and turn it into family room storage.

JEWELLERY BOXES

Our jewellery boxes are made from black coloured recycled cardboard in Germany. They can double-layered (aka sturdy) and can be used to store your jewellery and other knick knacks (like photos, postcards and keepsakes).

STAMP ON IT

This is our favourite part, though it took a while to master it (hence a few initial boxes had none of this customisation). A custom wooden stamp, made in Germany in two different sizes. It truly is fun, stamping boxes before they are filled in.  Our refillable ink pad is also made in Germany (though it’s smaller than our stamp, and requires double dipping).

Something to look forward to. - if and when we are able to showcase our curated artisanal wares at one of the many markets in Berlin (post pandemic, of course), we would love to have our customers stamp their own boxes (if they want to, that is). It is so much fun, and we’d love to see you smile when you imprint a perfect markhor on your Bunte Markhor box.

WRAPPING MATTERS

All are products are hand-wrapped in a tissue paper, placed on a bed of corrugated sheets and thick paper for shock absorption. Once in a while, we up-cycle bubble wrap to protect glass, ceramic or items need scratch protection.

Fun story: shipping our first lantern had us holding our breath. The glass globe is rather fragile, and a tiny crack would have ruined it. When it reached our customer, and made them happy, we were over the moon. Shipping fragile items is tricky, and this first success gave us a whole lot of confidence in our packaging capabilities.

SEAL IT WITH A BIODEGRADABLE STICKER

During our search for eco-friendly packaging, we came across Noissue and instantly fell in love. They make sustainable packaging, and we got our custom paper stickers made from them. This means that Bunte Markhor stickers are:

• Made with paper that is sourced from a responsibly and sustainably managed forest and supply chain.
• made from cellulose fiber where the active acid pulp is eliminated during processing. The pulp is also lignin- and sulfur-free, meaning that our ink won’t transfer from the stickers and the paper won’t leave behind any of these chemicals when decomposing.
• Printed with soy inks, which are an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based inks, and made from soybeans, a renewable resource. Also, soy inks have low levels of VOCs, reducing air pollution during the drying process.

TAPE IT CLOSE

Wrapping it up with an environment-friendly packaging tape. It's made of unbleached paper with a high percentage of recycled fibers, and has solvent-free adhesive that is free of toxic chemicals. 

When you order from us and share it on any social media platforms, please do tag us. We love reading/watching your reviews and smiles.