MBE packed ready for dispatch in grass and straw

Grass paper instead of plastic film, straw sheets instead of cold packs and corn starch instead of polystyrene: the MBE Centre in Garching near Munich offers a full range of organic packaging for all transport tasks on. These also include hemp as a coolant and air cushions made from biofilm. The only conventional packaging is cardboard made from recycled material. These cardboard boxes bear a seal of approval for reuse. All of this packaging is used by regional retailers to ship their products. This is also organised by the MBE Center. A sustainability contract with UPS guarantees climate-neutral transport. This complete package is particularly popular with organic online retailers who want to offer their customers a 100 per cent sustainable shopping experience.

Almost all packaging at the MBE Centre Garching is compostable and significantly more energy-efficient than conventional transport packaging, even during production. For example, the production of grass paper requires only two litres of water per tonne of pulp. In contrast, plastic shipping bags, known as polybags, require 9000 litres. This makes grass paper bags a much more sustainable option for transporting items of clothing.

Retailers and consumers do not have to compromise on quality with organic packaging either. This can be seen, for example, in the use of cooling elements made of straw, which Keep meat, fish and sausages fresh for 24 hours, making them ideal for the booming food box delivery sector would be. This rediscovered cooling method, which was commonly used a hundred years ago, is being used by, among others, an organic butcher who works together with the MBE Centre Garching.

"When we switched our range to sustainable packaging, our customers were initially sceptical. In the meantime, our organic packaging is in great demand, especially because they are also well received by end customers", says Carola Völkl, who manages the MBE Centre Garching together with her husband Gregor. Organic packaging is now offered on request in many of the 150 Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) centres across Germany.

SourceMBE : MBE