Buddies - Package Pals Trio

Package Pals Trio

Founders – Package Pals

MAIN SKILLS

APAC

ASEAN

Singapore

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Package Pals' introduction

Package Pals is a circular packaging initiative that seeks to extend the life cycle of packaging. We collect used e-commerce packaging from members of the public, distributing it back to businesses seeking eco-friendly, second hand packaging options. There are 7 categories of packaging we collect: poly mailers (<A4),paper envelopes (<A4), plastic wrappers (<A4), bubble wrap, padded envelopes.

Package Pals has worked with multiple large and small businesses, schools, NGOs and governmental organisations since it was started in May 2020. Other than carrying out collection and distribution, we also focus on education and outreach, seeking to educate our 4k-strong audience on packaging waste and other environmental issues, through social media, webinars and other events.

Top 3 pieces of advice to The Matcha Initiative (TMI) users ?

The first step to taking action is a willingness to act on gaps or issues identified. Also, never disregard the value of collaboration! Reaching out to communities is how I met Rachel Lee & that led to the founding of Package Pals. - Rachel Han
‍The best environmental solutions start with using what you already have. Make use of the resources on hand to reduce your environmental impact. For example, instead of purchasing new compostable or paper straws, use up your paper straws or go straw-less. This applies to individual action - e.g. you don’t have to go out of your way to buy specific cups for takeaway, but can use water bottles /tumblers that you already have. - Rachel Lee‍
Social media is such a powerful tool. Use your platforms to gain a wider outreach and to spread the ideas that you believe in. Our initiative gained traction solely on social media and via word of mouth - and it has brought us so many opportunities! It is important to remain grounded and have thoughtful interactions with your audience. - Puan Xin

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How could you help TMI users ?

We can provide you or your business with eco-friendly packaging needs. This includes supplying you with second-hand packaging, helping you set up a drop-off point in your office, school, or business to collect packaging, and establish a take-back system for packaging with your brand.

We can also have a chat on the topic of eco-friendly packaging, and share our experiences!

Expertise

You are 3 young Singaporeans who have launched Package Pals in May 2020. May we know a little more about each one of you? Why did you embark on this journey?

Rachel Lee (co-founder) is currently taking a bridging course, and will be studying law in the UK come September. Rachel Han (co-founder) is currently on a gap year, and plans to major in psychology with a second major or minor in environmental studies. Puan Xin (publicity director) is a freshman at the NTU Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.

The idea to start Package Pals came about after both co-founders started observing the amounts of packaging waste generated by the rise in online shopping - both in general and as a result of COVID-19 - with people not knowing what to do with them or throwing them away. At the same time, online 2nd-hand sellers like Rachel Lee were facing a shortage in 2nd-hand mailers which many thrift sellers used to mail out orders.

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Thus, what started out as a text sent by Rachel Han to an environment support Telegram group about recycling poly mailers in Singapore (since they cannot be recycled in our public blue bins) turned into a friendship when Rachel Lee reached out, and a feasible project along the way as we shared our ideas and found lots of common ground (and coincidentally, mutual friends)!

All of us had taken an interest in environmental sustainability prior to embarking on the project together, but mainly realised this through individual actions (which are just as important).

What were the main challenges you faced launching Package Pals? How did you overcome them? What would you do differently?

‍Receptiveness of our project and the idea of second-hand packaging, both from consumers and businesses. Especially because we started on a whim, one month after the idea was conceptualised, the number of donations and orders we received in our first month began to stress us. However, we began receiving more attention on social media after our first month and saw increasing support for our project and cause!‍
Oversupply of certain types of packaging (i.e., bubble wrap and plastic wrappers), as well as a lack of others (i.e., poly mailers and padded packaging). To curb this, we have temporarily paused donations for bubble wrap and plastic wrappers, while encouraging businesses and individuals to order from us and reduce our oversupply.‍
Unwanted donations, including packaging we do not accept (and have repeatedly stated as such onsocial media) such as boxes and styrofoam. We would greatly prefer if people do not donate these as we cannot distribute them back and it takes up space in our office. Instead, donors can refer to our resource matching sheet to find sellers who do accept the packaging we do not. Other than that, we have also received unusual donations such as a wooden duck, a whole pack of Milo powder and dolls... We are concerned that our donations open us up to being treated as a ‘dumping ground’. A possible cause is donors are not being fully aware of what happens to their packaging after it has been dropped off. Although we have tried to be more transparent with the process on social media, we don’t have a solution to circumvent this issue successfully as of now, but we hope donors can be more considerate!

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How do you educate people about which packaging can be re-used and which cannot?

Dissemination of information is mainly done through our social media channels. It is difficult to ensure that people are receiving our messaging, as we often get packaging that we do not accept through donations. We try our best to correct enquiries through DM/email, or put out social media announcements otherwise.

How do you work with organisations & companies? What do you advise them to do to reuse their packagings?

We connect with businesses to get them to adopt more eco-friendly packaging practices. We achieve this by demonstrating the demand and customer receptiveness for more sustainable packaging options, providing credible information for businesses to make decisions.

We would first advocate for companies to, as far as possible, reuse the packaging they receive back from their own customers. This can be done by setting up a drop-off point at their store and allowing customers to mail packaging back to them, a system we can advise on.

Otherwise,we are able to collect businesses' packaging back from customers and pass it back to companies for reuse. This may provide more incentive, as customers may find it convenient to donate all their packaging to a single, centralised source. We currently do this with 2 clothing businesses, Esse and Kinquo.

More commonly, we provide packaging to businesses. For businesses requiring larger quantities, they may order in bulk with a nominal fee that is still very much below market rate.