During the pandemic, e-commerce activity skyrocketed. Consumers spent $791.7 billion online in 2020, a 32.4% year-over-year increase, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Though that growth has tempered somewhat this year, as the country has reopened, the sector is still seeing growth. In Q2, the Commerce Department notes, e-commerce sales were up 9.3% year over year.

Hand-in-hand with all that growth is an increase in boxes, bags and related packing materials. The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that plastic and other packaging waste make up around 30% of U.S. waste each year. Jannat and Arsh Kakar decided to tackle the issue head-on, launching compostable mailer company Tishwish in the middle of the pandemic last year. In this Q&A, the founders share their story along with some tips for increasing the sustainability of your packaging.

Jannat (left) and Arsh Kakar, co-founders of Tishwish

Q: With the rise in e-commerce, do you think there’s going to be a bigger focus on sustainable packaging solutions, with people noticing how much waste is generated from traditional materials?

Jannat Kakar: Consumers are demanding that brands do better and invest in alternate materials that can be composted or recycled. A survey by Oceana found that 87% of consumers think major online retailers should curb the amount of plastic packaging they use. Among global consumers, 72% are actively buying more environmentally friendly products than they did five years ago, and 81% expect to buy even more over the next five years. Most of our customers are small businesses and first-time e-commerce entrepreneurs. For these smaller companies, it’s much easier to choose a sustainable option than for large businesses that have relied on traditional plastic packaging for far too long. Thanks to legislation in certain parts of the world like Europe, Australia and Canada, there are restrictions on the use of single-use plastics for retail, and hopefully soon, U.S. states will adopt similar waste-reduction measures. One of the many lessons 2020 taught us is not to take things for granted, and the environment is certainly one of those things that cannot be taken for granted.

Q: What led you to launch Tishwish in June 2020?

Arsh Kakar: One day when Jannat was gathering all our empty shampoo, oil and handwash bottles, she realized that everything was plastic. Further, the packing materials the items came in were also plastic. I’ve been in the packaging industry for years and knew there’s a need and a market for sustainable packaging options, so we started researching and realized that there weren’t a lot of options, and the ones that were available required you to purchase in bulk quantities over 10,000. In the middle of the pandemic, when small businesses were already trying so hard to survive and build brand recognition, they couldn’t afford to stock up those quantities, so they would end up buying plastic, and this is what we were trying to solve. I worked with material scientists to come up with a sustainable mailer that’s suitable for both home composting and industrial composting facilities. With Jannat’s extensive background in e-commerce and graphic design, we put together our website in a week. In the beginning, we weren’t sure of the demand. The first day we went live with preorders, we got two orders, which quickly turned into four, then eight, and then we knew we had a business.

Q: What makes your mailers sustainable?

JK: Instead of using traditional plastic, Tishwish mailers are made from biopolymers derived from starches like corn. This means that unlike traditional plastic that stays on the planet for about 500 years, Tishwish mailers break down in an industrial composting facility in three months or in a home compost in six. Further, our mailers have two strips of adhesive seals so they can be reused, also making them suitable for returns.

Q: Do you think there’s enough education when it comes to compostable items? What do consumers need to know to ensure they can compost your mailers properly?

AK: In the U.S., there’s a long way to go in terms of awareness and education about end-of-life disposal, especially for compostable items. For our mailers, firstly, we recommend reusing them as many times as possible before disposing. Once the mailer has reached the end of its useful life, the best way to dispose of it is to compost it. Remove any labels (unless you’re sure they’re also compostable), packing tape and the recyclable plastic backing of any adhesive strips that remain and throw it into a compost bin to start the process. This can be done in either a backyard compost or an industrial compost facility. In the U.S., you can find a nearby facility here.

It’s not conducive to recycle compostable items because they’re not suitable for the recycling process and will end up being removed from the recycling stream. The good part is that they still break down in a landfill, after about two years. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the landfill process, this will still add to methane production. That’s why it’s important to compost our products to take full advantage of the environmental benefits.

Q: Can you tell us about your Timber ReLeaf Project?

JK: It’s a harsh fact that all packaging, including sustainable options, have some kind of impact on the environment. With the Timber ReLeaf Project, we plant a tree in areas that need reforestation for every order we receive. Not only does this aid in carbon sequestering, but it also helps generate employment in local communities where the trees are planted. In a little over a year, we’ve planted 7,000 trees. Our goal for next year is to plant 35,000 trees. It’s an aggressive target, but with the support of our customers, we’re on track to achieve it.

Q: What are some other ways that businesses can make their packaging more sustainable?

AK: In an ideal world, no packaging would be the most sustainable packaging, but that’s not practical. Not yet at least. Using packaging materials made from sustainable materials is a direct way to make this aspect of the business more sustainable. Another way is to consciously use space-efficient packaging. Box size should be optimized so there’s no wasted space and no need for fillers. Excess space means extra shipping volume than what’s required, which directly contributes to more fuel burn during transit, not to mention the additional cost. Try using flexible packing materials whenever possible. For more fragile items, consider padded mailers. If you need to use boxes, they should be appropriately sized to avoid excess space.

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