100% Compostable Mailer Bags?

Sustainability Is At Our Core

Sustainability has always been a priority for us at Marcella - from our fabric choices to our just-in-time production to our timeless designs and, now, drumroll...to our decision to use 100% compostable mailer bags. We’ve always been keenly aware of the (sadly) negative impact our sector has both socially and environmentally around the world, especially because the fashion industry is one of its largest polluters, and, since the very start, we've strived every day to be doing ever better on this front. 

Analyzing Our Full Production Process

Pushing ourselves to provide high-quality products at low environmental cost is an ongoing process that requires awareness of our production from start to finish - from the beginning stages of manufacturing all the way to when the product gets into your hands. By implementing less wasteful shipping practices we hope to broaden our sustainability focus beyond just our production and into the many steps that go into sending our beautiful clothing out into the world.  

The Truth About Plastic Pollution

We chose to tackle the issue of plastic bags because they are highly wasteful, resource-intensive to produce, infrequently recycled, and harmful to our ecosystems since they do not break down easily in the environment. Plastic is the number one source of ocean litter and contributes to the degradation of essential wildlife and natural resources. By opting for compostable packaging we are actively working to combat the harmful impacts of plastic production and pollution.

Why Mailers?

In addition to the many drawbacks of plastic products, generic plastic mailer bags are also rarely recyclable, meaning they will almost definitely end up in landfill, or worse, polluting our ecosystems. In fact, product packaging accounts for about 40% of plastic usage globally. However, properly packaging our clothing is also essential to protecting your new purchase and we must always balance that consideration. As such, our bags remain high quality in nature but are now made from natural plant fibers and will break down in nature within only 36 months, 100 times faster than the decomposing of regular plastic bags. By switching to a compostable bag, we are able to protect your purchase without further sacrificing environmental wellbeing. Yes, at more than double the cost, but to us, this switch was a no brainer. 

What You’ll Get In The Mail

Even though we're committed to only using compostable bags for all of our new production, we still have garments and face masks packaged in our traditional poly bags. We didn't want to simply change the packaging of our existing inventory and have a worse environmental net effect by doing the switch.  So, we'll be in the midst of a transitional period for a while. Your Marcella order may arrive inside of a 100% compostable bag or our traditional poly bags or both. If you ordered a garment from our collection, your order would be tucked inside of a tote bag. We hope that you will join us on our sustainability journey by discarding the compostable bag in an appropriate location for compostables and that you will use our canvas tote bag as a replacement for single-use shopping bags.

What Our Customers Are Saying

The importance of these sustainable changes is reinforced to us when we receive positive feedback from our customers, like this message from Chris:

“I have never been inclined to follow-up on receiving an order, but I just have to express how pleased I am that your company had the foresight to realize that I had placed two orders back to back and shipped both in one parcel instead of two. I commend you on your environmental stewardship in this way and in the way you choose your packaging. From providing a tote vs paper packaging, compostable plastic bags, twine and raffia as ties - I am so thankful when companies go the extra step to lower their environmental impact via their business model.”

Impact Beyond Marcella

Analyzing our social and environmental impacts, whether as individuals, family members, or as a company is essential to making sustainable changes that will better serve our communities. As we work to reduce our negative impact on the environment, we hope that you will join us in supporting these changes across the entire fashion industry!