Choose slow, Choose eco
Choose slow. Choose eco.
Green Packaging. Can it help arrest plastic pollution and recover Earth’s environmental damage?
The rise of e-commerce in the past decade has unarguably been one of the major contributors to an upsurge in plastic consumption. The e-commerce industry supported innovations through fancy bubble wraps, branded duct tapes, airtight packs among others, to ensure goods’ safety, quality and aesthetic appeal. As for the environment, sheer neglect towards sustainability and lack of marketing has compelled us to ask the question - can we devise eco-friendly loopholes for such vital elements of our supply chain?
Plastic, the main culprit of this packaging problem, has been pitching towards large proportions of greenhouse emissions in turn contributing to climate change. Repeated and mass abuse of plastic lead to the recent introduction of 13 sustainable development goals by the United Nations rolling the ball for a conscious change in our decisions for a cleaner and greener planet. Thereby, the Buna team identifies plastic, a crucial yet dangerous foundation of the traditional approach to packaging, and takes ownership to change these established ways to modern and environment-friendly solutions.
So let's take a deep dive towards making our supply chain eco-friendly by unfolding the packaging problem.
Consisting of a mixture of Gen Y and Gen Z, the Buna team is sustainably aware and willing to work towards the support and contribution to a more mindful world in terms of fashion by constantly curating conscious alternatives to such hurdles. Therefore, we commence by going with 100% plastic-free polybags.
With loads of research and testing, we landed up with Cassava plastic bags. It looks and feels exactly like a plastic bag but the only difference is that it is not plastic. It is an organic polybag - put together exclusively from natural resources like cassava starch, vegetable oil, and organic resins. If you're thinking of eating it, well, go ahead! It is non-toxic. Due to its dissolvable qualities, it won't harm the water animals as well. This 'bioplastic' is a revolutionary solution to tackle the problems of traditional plastic as it is biodegradable and composts in just a few months.
Did you know? Around 30% of all clothes made around the world are never sold, according to the Australian Circular Association (ACTA). So what happens to these clothes? Well, it’s no surprise - they go to waste!
Hence, another major issue that needs our imminent attention is the waste problem of the fashion industry that keeps glorifying and contributing towards the rise of throwaway culture. However, the Buna team recognises this problem and therefore, Buna is a 100% made-to-order brand. They do not create stocks, which pushes their delivery timelines way ahead of fast fashion labels, but buyers are conscious of Earth’s burdens and problems today and are ready to wait for an eco-friendly product to arrive at their doorstep. Besides, this creates an opportunity to repurpose the waste material, the muslin fabric, by recycling and upcycling it into a raw fabric material bag with a pinch of refinement added with a buttoned closure. Lastly, to ensure the safety of our products, we place our packed garments in a cardboard box for undamaged delivery to our customers. Thus, this combination of recycled paper, cloth and nature bring us a step closer to making our supply chain more sustainable and eco-friendly.
That’s not all…
Do you know how many clothes are produced in a year? Well, let’s not go there in depth because it will take you a lifetime to calculate that. But each of these clothes has a hand tag which is usually made with a combination of unsustainable materials that cause havoc for the natural world. To tackle this problem, we have been using eco-conscious hand tags for the past 3 years to reflect our brand’s minimalistic approach. We have thoughtfully curated this innovative substitute as these are made from fabric waste embedded with seeds of either tulsi or marigold. Moreover, the plastic string that usually attaches the tag with the product is replaced by a jute string - making it completely plastic-free and environment friendly. The tag includes the description of the product and how to use the seed paper to grow a tulsi or marigold plant instead of just throwing it away. This helps us portray the holistic approach of our brand as an ally to sustainability and slow fashion.
By and large, the Buna team ardently believes in giving back to nature and, so here is the beginning of doing so. Although one might never be able to reverse the centuries of ill-practices we have put our planet through, the only solution is to minimise the adversity by conscious efforts and maximise endeavours that reflect creativity as well as innovation in the domain.