Dope Snow and MONTEC packaging at Ridestore: Switching to paper to eliminate plastic waste
Those slopes and mountains are pretty important to you, right? Us, too! That’s why we’ve transformed our packaging into something kinder to our planet. Keen to know more? Let’s take a look at how Montec and Dope Snow paper packaging reduces plastic waste.
It’s hard to deny that plastic waste doesn’t cause serious harm to our environment. So, we knew couldn’t be a part of the problem. That’s why Linus, our co-founder, challenged us to look deeper at our MONTEC and Dope Snow packaging. Together, we had to find materials that worked better for our products, environment, and the mountains, no matter the financial cost.
We worked scientifically, looking into material availability, lifecycle assessments (LCAs), and production. We also dived into research papers and studied the effects of pollution and CO2-eq (carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions alongside recycling availability, new tech, consumer habits, and more. Where did all this time and research get us? Let’s find out!
Evaluating materials and forming partnerships
Paper seemed like an obvious swap. But after closer examination, we found that commercially viable sources of paper packaging were more than likely contributing to deforestation. Alternatively, many sources were imported from outside the US or EU, which was leading to longer shipping times and so higher emissions. So it wasn’t as straightforward a switch as we thought!
Plus, after packaging our products in cardboard boxes, we found they took up much more space compared to plastic bags. This wasn’t ideal, as we knew it’d mean more space during shipping, resulting in higher emissions and a greater environmental impact. Biodegradable, water-soluble plastic was another potential option. However, it requires too much energy to produce and is typically unrecyclable. But just when we thought we’d exhausted all avenues, we came across Billerud…
Collaborating with Billerud
Billerud was our ‘eureka’ moment. This innovative Swedish company uses sustainable, incredibly durable, thin paper packaging. All of a sudden, we’d found a highly protective shield for our items without taking up too much space. Billerud’s Swedish base also meant we could reduce transport emissions. And, as a bonus, Billerud uses Nordic forest management practices and holds FSC certification.
Through an in-depth lifecycle analysis, we discovered that using a Billerud paper mailing bag resulted in 62-68% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than our recycled plastic option. So, it was an easy decision to replace our recycled LDPE bags with Billerud’s mailing bags.
Delivering zero plastic packaging
With our exterior packaging sorted, we next turned our attention to the inner bags that protect our products. To reduce our plastic use by 32%, we switched from a branded ziplock LDPE bag to a thinner, unbranded bag. Our warehouse could then remove these unbranded bags and ensure that 100% are sent for reuse or recycling.
At the warehouse, our items are then packaged in paper sleeves and sent to our customers. This ensures that no plastic reaches your door. Plus, zero plastic frees you from the responsibility of correctly recycling it, too.
Folding methods and future plans
Our new paper sleeves didn’t give us much room to pack multiple items. Especially larger ones, such as ski jackets or snow pants! However, Emil, our co-founder, and Elin, our CEO, developed the ‘Tetris project’: a series of five folding methods to keep products compact and their structure intact. This new technique means more items can be shipped in the same order and, crucially, take up less space during shipment, avoiding multiple journeys and higher emissions.
Today, over 90% of our packaging is plastic-free! And the changes we’ve made have helped us save 10 tons of plastic (about 22,000 lbs) in 2023 alone. However, this isn’t where our journey ends. Our teams continue to look into different methods and always listen to customer feedback. This helps us deliver less plastic waste, more planet-friendly solutions, and our high-performing Dope Snow and Montec gear to your door.
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