Sustainable Policies
“Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony.” – U.S. EPA
Sellery Policies Coming Soon…
As a startup, we are in the fortunate position to develop our own social, environmental, and financial strategies. We recognize the value and importance of integrating our sustainability commitments throughout every level of our organization. We desire to build a culture that reflects our values, in particular our commitment to our planet and the people on it. This means that we want to formulate these strategies thoughtfully using a multi-stakeholder consultation process that gathers multiple perspectives and is informed by best practices.
We are also committed to tracking, reporting, and developing accountability measures into our policies, some of which are included within our Buyer and Supplier Codes of Conduct that are currently under legal review. We are working hard to make these and our in-progress policies as robust as possible. Some policies coming soon include a Compensation & Living Wage Policy, a Water Stewardship Policy, a Decarbonization Policy, and a Racial Justice Action Plan. Future policies will be developed as we grow, such as Community Reinvestment policies.
Responsible Shipping Policy
Shipping methods and shipping materials are Sellery’s greatest environmental impact. For this reason, we have taken great care to research all our options and publicly report our approach.
It is well known that air freight results in far greater GhG emissions than other methods of transportation. For this reason, we avoid air freight when possible, for both product shipping to Sellery as well as product shipping to our customers. While we allow express delivery on orders, we highly (and visibly) discourage our customer’s use of that option. Additionally, to minimize the raw materials used, weight and therefore emissions, we always attempt to ship in the lightest weight, smallest outer shipper that will accommodate your order.
We are committed to continuous improvement in minimizing product packaging, maximizing product packaging that can be recycled or reused, and maximizing responsibly-sourced or recycled materials. As of our November 2022 launch, 100% of our inner and outer shipping materials and labels are recycled and recyclable. Below is a list of the materials used.
As of our November 2022 launch, 100% of our outer shipping materials and labels are recycled and recyclable. Our goal is 100% recycled paper as the material of choice; however, it was important to balance using the most responsible materials while also ensuring that your purchased items are protected during delivery. For this reason, we are currently using three 100% recycled materials for outer shippers.
- Due to the heavier weight and therefore higher energy required to ship, our shipping boxes are for larger orders only. They are 100% recycled. After use, these boxes are curbside recyclable, and naturally biodegradable and compostable.
For smaller orders, we are evaluating two bag shippers. - As of our November 2022 launch, about 11% of our shipping bags are 100% recycled paper shipper called EcoX. We are testing these because historically paper shippers have not performed as well as polybags in protecting garments. However, with new improvements, we hope this will meet our standards. After use, these bags are curbside recyclable, and naturally biodegradable and compostable.
- While we test, the other approximately 89% of our shipping materials are 100% recycled poly mailers, which are known to be very effective in protecting garments during shipment. While these are plastic, they are 100% recycled and therefore not creating any virgin plastics. Additionally, they are (thin film) recyclable in about 95% of the U.S., however they are not curbside recyclable. Most areas of the U.S. require thin plastics to be dropped at specific locations (such as drop boxes at the local grocery store). As a result of the extra effort needed to recycle, most will end up in a landfill. For this reason, it is our hope to move to the 100% recycled paper option, pending test results.
Our shipping labels are 100% recycled and curbside recyclable, featuring a zero-waste release liner that is made of 100% recycled content and is curbside recyclable with a recycle-friendly, high-performance adhesive.
As of our November 2022 launch, 100% of our inner shipping materials are recycled and recyclable. One aspect of responsible shipping is minimizing the amount of materials used. For this reason, we do not add unnecessary fillers, cards and flyers, and we choose the smallest size packaging that is appropriate for your order. All inner paper used (e.g., packing list) is 100% recycled and curbside recyclable. Most of the inner bags for our products are supplied by our brand partners. Rest assured that Sellery only partners with brands who have and publicly share a strategy to minimize product packaging, maximize product packaging that can be recycled or reused, and use responsibly-sourced or recycled materials. On the rare occasion that we must provide the inner packaging, we have sourced the following materials:
- 100% of our inner packaging are 100% Recycled Kraft Bag & Seal. These bags are made from 100% recycled paper, of which 60% is post-consumer waste. They are curbside recyclable and naturally biodegradable.
We monitor new shipping materials, technologies, and processes on an ongoing basis when possible, to ensure we are utilizing the best options for our business needs as defined by our sustainable business model.