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Apparel brands can cut plastic use by replacing suitable plastic outer e-commerce mailers with kraft or other paper envelopes—but only when the package protects the order and works through the brand’s actual fulfillment and delivery system. Paper is not automatically a better fit: Patagonia reported failures with the paper mailers it tested, while other apparel brands have made the switch after comparing formats and validating operations.
The decision is about the complete packaging path, not just the mailer material. A paper shipper may replace the outer plastic bag while garments still need protection during factory shipping, storage, processing, and packing.
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What changes when an apparel brand switches to paper mailers?
The clearest opportunity is the flexible plastic envelope used to ship an online order to a customer. Brands can replace that outer shipper with a kraft or other paper mailer when its size, strength, closure, and labeling suit the orders and shipping route.
That does not necessarily eliminate plastic elsewhere in the supply chain. Factory polybags may serve a separate role by protecting garments from dirt and damage before they reach the customer-facing packing station. A mailer transition should therefore distinguish the outer shipping package from any protective inner packaging.
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Can apparel brands make the switch successfully?
Yes, but examples show possibility—not a guarantee that every paper format will work in every operation.
- The Fashion Pact’s 2024 Packaging Guide reports that prAna and Etam Group replaced flexible plastic polybag mailers with 100% recycled FSC-certified paper shipping envelopes. It also describes H&M Group replacing e-commerce shippers with unbleached recyclable FSC-certified paper after a pilot.
- A supplier-authored EcoEnclose apparel case study, published May 10, 2024, describes an unnamed brand testing three options before selecting a kraft mailer for its needs.
These reports do not establish identical durability or environmental outcomes across brands. In the EcoEnclose case, the brand compared a Kraft Mailer, an Apparel Mailer, and a custom recycled-content gusseted option. It selected two sizes, including a gusseted format for orders with two or three items. The case study says the brand ordered 75,000 mailers at a time while committing to a year’s volume; that purchasing arrangement is specific to the anonymous brand, not a standard requirement.
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How to choose a mailer format and size
Start with the garments and orders you actually ship. A flat envelope may suit a folded single item, while thicker or multi-item orders may need more room. The EcoEnclose case illustrates why brands may compare flat and gusseted constructions rather than assume one envelope size will handle every order.
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- Order fit: Check folded garment dimensions and thickness across single-item and multi-item orders. Note where a gusset is needed and whether the contents can be packed without stressing seams or closure.
- Transit protection: Assess seam strength, tears, punctures, moisture exposure, and whether garments arrive clean and undamaged.
- Fulfillment workflow: Check packing speed, closure pressure, label adhesion, compatibility with sorting or conveyor equipment, and return handling.
- Materials and end of life: Review recycled content, fiber sourcing, coatings, liners, windows, tapes, adhesives, and padding. Confirm whether the complete construction is accepted in the relevant local recycling stream.
- Purchasing and storage: Compare unit cost, available sizes, supplier minimums, storage needs, and purchasing cadence before committing to a large order.
Test the whole fulfillment and delivery route
A sample that looks suitable at a desk can fail on a packing line or in transit. Test candidate mailers with representative garments and common order combinations, using the closure and labels staff will apply in normal operations. Where possible, run them through the actual handling and shipping route rather than relying on a material description.
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Record failures and operational effects separately: seam separation, tears or punctures, moisture damage, garment cleanliness, label peeling, package weight, packing time, and return handling. A paper mailer that protects the item but slows packing or cannot keep a label attached may not be a workable replacement.
Closure and labeling deserve particular attention. In the EcoEnclose case study, the brand’s third-party logistics providers encountered early mailer and label adhesion issues. The supplier reports that slightly more pressure was needed to create a strong bond with paper. Treat that as a case-specific observation to test in your own workflow, not as a universal instruction.
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Why one paper-mailer test failed
Patagonia’s account of its Reno distribution-center study offers a useful counterexample. In its experiment, 12 of 40 unbagged garments showed visible dirt or damage by the packing station, and 17 of 40 fell out of their paper ties. Patagonia also said two paper-mailer brands it tested had separated seams, tears, and shipping labels peeling before the mailers left the distribution center.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Those results concern Patagonia’s particular products and workflow, not every paper mailer. They do show why a material label cannot replace testing. Patagonia estimated that removing polybags at its shipping station would require 5,555 additional labor hours per year and recommended smaller polybags and factory-level folding guidelines as alternatives to eliminating protective inner packaging. Those are historical company estimates and recommendations, not current industry-wide figures.
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Check sourcing and recycling claims on the actual package
“Paper” alone does not prove that a mailer is responsibly sourced or recyclable in the customer’s area. Check the specific construction for plastic liners, coatings, windows, tapes, adhesives, or mixed-material padding; request documentation for recycled content and fiber sourcing; and verify local collection rules for the markets you ship to. The Fashion Pact’s 2024 guide advises checking material compatibility with established recycling streams and responsible sourcing.
Product claims also need attribution and context. ProAmpac’s October 14, 2021 announcement described its ProActive Recyclable Paper Mailers as having up to 70% lower water absorption than a standard kraft paper mailer and being intended for curbside recycling through paper streams. That is a manufacturer claim about its product, not an independent performance result for paper mailers generally. Verify current specifications and local recycling conditions before relying on it.
Reported plastic savings are equally specific. The Fashion Pact’s 2024 guide says Tezenis saved 10,000 kg of plastic in 2020 through the use of post-consumer recycled-content paper bags for online purchases. That is a named brand’s reported result for a particular year and packaging approach, not a forecast for another company.
A practical pilot checklist
- Choose candidate formats and pack representative garments, including common single-item and multi-item orders.
- Run samples through the normal packing line and, where possible, the actual shipping route.
- Record seam failures, punctures, moisture damage, garment cleanliness, label adhesion, package weight, and fulfillment time.
- Inspect the complete construction for liners, windows, tapes, coatings, adhesives, and mixed-material padding.
- Request supplier documentation for fiber sourcing and recycled content.
- Check recycling instructions for the actual construction in the markets where orders will be delivered.
- Compare minimum order quantities, storage requirements, and purchasing cadence before placing a large order.
A successful pilot establishes that a particular mailer works for particular orders and operations. It does not establish that every kraft mailer will work—or that the same result will transfer unchanged to another fulfillment center or delivery route.
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