Choosing sustainable custom shipping envelopes for ecommerce
Shipping envelopes are incredibly versatile, resilient, and a perfect fit for sending small items. Good design is something anyone can appreciate, and shipping envelopes are one of the most customisable packaging solutions for your brand.
From the inside out, they act like brand ambassadors, taking care of safe delivery and showing your brand’s design philosophy, commitment to sustainability, and even an item's quality.
This also comes down to the unboxing experience. Custom shipping envelopes that feel like high-quality products themselves — just like the items they deliver — are what separate a good brand from a great one. The look and feel all play a role in shaping consumers’ opinions about your products and brand.
72% of customers say that packaging design influences their buying decisions.
Want to increase customer loyalty? Well-designed, customised packaging is a must!
What makes custom shipping envelopes great, and where they fall short
For all their many practical benefits, these mailers come with a few caveats that brands need to bear in mind, particularly small businesses.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Personalised: Easily one of their biggest selling points, the ability to tweak the appearance and size of an envelope gives brands the range to be as minimalist or as in-your-face with logo design and physical appearance as they want to be. |
Higher upfront cost: The creation of custom designs for these envelopes means brands will need to make a higher initial investment, which will cover design and printing setup fees. |
| Practical: For items that don’t require much space or packaging, they’re wonderfully convenient. Avoiding having to rely on large-scale packaging means less environmental waste, too. What’s not to like? |
Possible delays: With specialised design and production work required for their creation, delays in shipping may be a possibility. |
| Protective: They may be thin, but with the right quality paper and a reliable inlay, peace of mind comes standard, knowing that items will be well protected during long shipping journeys. |
Higher minimum order quantities: The double-edged sword of their uniqueness strikes again, with some manufacturers requiring a higher minimum order before production can start. |
Custom shipping envelopes vs cardboard boxes
Compared to traditional cardboard boxes, mailers are:
Cheaper to produce.
Don’t need to be assembled, making packing 3-4x faster.
Can be used for many different types of orders using the same design.
Cheaper to ship.
Can sometimes even fit in mailing boxes, making delivery super convenient for the customer.
They’re suitable for everything from electronics and jewellery to cosmetics and supplements, making them incredibly versatile. Custom shipping envelopes can also be padded or cushioned for shipping fragile items, making them a better choice for smaller products.
Sure, cardboard boxes may hold the crown of popularity due to their versatility, but they can’t beat envelopes in the practicality department. A slimmer profile that takes up less space and is cheaper to ship makes for a packaging solution that should really be the first option for smaller products and orders.
A well-designed envelope with proper branding also stands out compared to a generic cardboard box. And it goes without saying that the environmental benefits are unmatched. Fewer materials, less “air” shipped around, easier recycling for customers to reduce waste, and create a great customer experience.
What do different types of envelopes offer?
There’s no shortage of options when choosing a custom mailer. But making a sustainable choice, though, is a different story. Let’s look at some of the envelope options and how they stack up in terms of sustainability.
| Type of envelope | Description | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wool Envelopes | Made of recycled paper and leftover sheep wool in two easily separable layers. | Shock-proof and premium feel. Customisable design. 100% wool inlays are sustainable and biodegradable. Wool inlays can be reused, returned, or home-composted. |
Water-resistant but not waterproof. Some wool residue may be present. |
| Poly mailers | Lightweight plastic envelopes. | Lightweight and cost-effective. Waterproof if not torn. Custom printable. |
Unsustainable and not biodegradable. Vulnerable to punctures and tears, offering limited protection. |
| Kraft paper envelopes | Envelopes made from brown kraft paper. | Recyclable and compostable. Custom printing options. Lightweight. |
Less water-resistant. Limited padding. |
| Padded bubble mailers | Paper or plastic mailers with a bubble wrap lining. | Offer protection for fragile items. | Difficult to recycle. Heavier than non-padded mailers. |
| Cloth envelopes | Made from cotton, canvas, or similar recycled materials. | Reusable. Custom embroidery or branding is possible. |
Expensive. Not very protective. May require additional sealing. |
| Bioplastic envelopes | Mailing envelopes made from plant-based or biodegradable plastic alternatives. | More sustainable than traditional plastic. Some are compostable or biodegradable. Water-resistance. |
Sometimes weaker than other options. Bioplastic isn’t always biodegradable. May require industrial composting. |
“Woola is quite a groundbreaking solution when you think about it. I haven't seen other wool-based envelope inserts.”
— Nicolas Katkoff, Sales Manager at Woola
What makes Wool Envelopes so great?
Wool Envelopes combine all the benefits of a recycled paper-based exterior with all the positives that come with a woollen inlay. You can’t get a more sustainable postal cover than that!
Sustainable by nature: Wool Envelopes are petrochemical-free and only made of renewable materials. With the inlay made of wool that would otherwise be burned or buried, they offer a perfect alternative to non-biodegradable mailers that use plastic inlays.
Designed for performance: Wool is a wonderful material for offering protection. It absorbs shocks, protecting your products from scratches and breakage while in transit. Wool also repels moisture and protects from temperature extremes, so consumers can rest assured they’ll receive their goods in excellent condition.
And, most importantly, customised Wool Envelopes offer a one-of-a-kind unboxing experience that feels more premium than any other material listed above.
“I was actually thinking the envelopes would be such good planters. You know, like, you just fill it with soil and put a plant in. It'll work perfectly.”
— Katrin Kabun, Co-founder and Head of Product at Woola
Why companies are turning to Woola and our customisable shipping envelopes
The industries may be different, but the reasons are the same. These companies want a sustainable, premium packaging solution that only Wool Envelopes offers them.
agood company
agood company understands how important the customer experience is for their brand, especially packaging. Sustainability is also key, which is why Woola became their chosen partner after switching from their brand-colored cardboard boxes.
“No one buys something just because it’s sustainable. Our belief — and our bet — is that sustainability should be a given.”
— André Persson, Creative Director at agood company
Before Woola, agood company used FSC-certified cardboard boxes with custom red colour exteriors and black insides. While they looked good, they were pricy and bulky.
Our Wool Envelopes have reduced packaging costs, solved the issue of products getting scratched, and all without compromising on the look and feel that customers love. “It’s the most sustainable padded envelope I’ve seen,” says André. “And it’s premium — but in a different way. Sustainable premium. It just fits us.”
Maison Matine
As a leading French perfume brand, Maison Matine wanted to reflect its choice of using organic ingredients and 100% recyclable caps by using sustainable packaging. Their own high standards meant that using plastic bubble envelopes and kraft boxes wasn’t enough for their brand, which is why they chose Woola and our Wool Envelopes.
"We chose Wool Envelopes to elevate our brand image related to sustainability and enhance the customer experience. As soon as customers receive our products in Wool Envelopes, they see our commitment to eco-responsibility.”
— Marie Kellou, Creative Director and Co-founder of Maison Matine
In the end, what won over Maison Matine wasn’t only Woola’s commitment to sustainability but the quality and eye-catching design of our Wool Envelopes. “The products are also very different from what we usually see on the market,” Marie added. Another perfect match between ecommerce and sustainability.
BioGaia
For BioGaia, the creation and marketing of broad-spectrum probiotics and other supplements means a user experience where the packaging needs to be as premium as their products. Bubble mailers weren’t cutting it, leading this pioneering Swedish biotech company to discover Woola, who could deliver what their own internal user tests were calling out for.
Customer feedback showed that BioGaia’s unboxing experience had the greatest room for improvement, a problem our Wool Envelopes solved at every level.
"It was evident from the user experience tests that bubble mailers were not delivering a premium experience."
— Michael Clyne, Ecommerce Manager at BioGaia
“Once we decided it would have to be an envelope, we all preferred Woola,” Michael says, “Wool Envelopes looked great even when they got crinkled during shipping — they almost even looked nicer than brand new. And we also appreciated their unusualness and uniqueness — the Wool Envelopes make BioGaia packages stand out and memorable.”
So, which Wool Envelope do you need?
Wool Envelopes have a padded inlay made of waste wool and a paper exterior that can be customised with your brand’s logo. All you have to do is make an eye-catching design, we’ll do the rest!
Wool Envelopes
Our classic Wool Envelopes fit cosmetics, supplements, and other small goods nice and snug. The exterior layer of recycled paper is your brand’s canvas for an eye-catching logo.
Wool Gusset Envelopes
The paper exteriors of Wool Gusset Envelopes have expandable sides for extra capacity. This makes them the perfect answer for shipping a bit bulkier items.
Both Wool Envelopes and Wool Gusset Envelopes come in three sizes - W4 at 210x300mm, W5 at 150x210mm, and W6 at 105x150 mm (sizes refer to the inner measurements of the wool inlay).
Why our 100% wool inlays are a big deal
Traditional plastic inlays from other custom shipping envelopes are an environmental hazard, like any other synthetic packaging solutions, so we’ll share what motivated us to offer an alternative that’s 100% sustainable.
When we founded Woola, it was to replace plastic bubble wrap with a sustainable, regenerative alternative. We aimed to curb waste at multiple levels, both from the plastics that leech into environments, and wool that could otherwise have served a more useful purpose.
The first production line used PLA (polylactic acid), a binder derived from corn, to make wool packaging. In 2025, we switched to a new proprietary production methodology that can make products like our Wool Envelopes inlays without any additives — just 100% wool.
Making Wool Envelopes without PLA is 4.4x more energy-efficient.
PLA is better than fossil-based plastic, but still requires significant resources to be produced, making it less than ideal in terms of sustainability. Getting rid of it in our Wool Envelopes was a win that led us to a more streamlined and efficient supply chain.
Wool Envelopes are also biodegradable. We’re doing our own research to see exactly how long our wool inlays take to decompose, but we always encourage reuse as the first option.
The stamp of approval
Wool Envelopes are an ideal packaging solution for brands that want to offer great customer experience and show the world they walk the walk when it comes to sustainability. Plus, wool is a naturally high-tech material that offers next-level protection and insulation.
Want to find out for yourself? Request a Wool Envelope sample and see how you can upgrade your ecommerce packaging today.