One of my long term goals with NightBlooming is to migrate all my packaging over to the most eco-friendly versions possible and I’m excited to announce compostable packaging for all my herbal hair colors! In addition, I’ll be offering 500g bulk packs.
I’d already swapped out my bubble mailers for compostable Eco Enclose ones and have explored swapping my plastic jars to glass–but those are going to involve buying new label stock and totally redesigning the packaging–something I just don’t have time to do. Making the change to these compostable, resealable bags, however, was something I could do right away because the labels I am already using fit!
In time, this compostable packaging is going to roll out to the samples of my teas, rinses, and other products, but the hair colors were the big monster and I wanted to get that shift done all at once.
Everything is compostable, even the zipper!
These compostable pouches are vegan, non-GMO, and are not made with PLA. They’re lightweight, durable, and keep oxygen and moisture out. They’re also freezer-safe and made in the USA.
Aesthetically, I love the soft shimmer the pouches have, that they stand up all on their own, and that my labels look so much nicer on them than on plastic.
Now keep in mind, these meet a bunch of different composting standards across multiple countries, but there is no standard for home composting. That means that how fast they break down will depend on how you manage your compost bin or pile, but they can and will decompose. To make them compost best, cut or shred the bags into tiny pieces before adding them to your compost bin or pile.
500g Bulk Packages
It’s like getting 100g free!
I’ve gotten a lot of requests over the years for a bulk option and this switch in packaging provided the perfect opportunity to do so. The way pricing shakes out, by buying in bulk you’re paying the cost of 400g, but getting 500g.
These bulk bags are moisture-resistant and UV protectant, so they’ll keep your bulk purchase fresh for a long time. It might take a little while for me to figure out exactly what the demand for these will be, but over the next few months I’m sure I’ll have a better handle on that.
And some modest price adjustments
But a little less expensive for Patrons…
These pouches are more than 10x more expensive than the plastic bags I was using, so there is going to be a slight price bump to accommodate for it.
The good news is that Patrons pledging at tiers that get the NightBlooming 15% off Evergreen Discount ($7 tier, $20 tier, and all higher tiers) get to apply that, even to the bulk colors. And if you’re pledging at one of the discount tiers on Patreon annually, you save 16% vs pledging monthly (which shakes out to about 3 months of that discount for free).
This is why I love rewarding my patrons: they support me through thick and thin and the extra, stable income every month goes a long, long way to letting me fund big shifts like this one to compostable packaging. Become a patron–any tier gives me endless warm fuzzies.
I’m very excited about the new packaging!
Yay!!!! 😀
I noticed a while ago you had made the switch to eco mailers! I was ecstatic then (and still reused the package as I do with bubble mailers.) This is even more exciting! Getting plastic cut down and recycled in my life is a huge struggle with everyone else around me. I pile up all the plastic bags to go bacl to the store, and equip everyone with tote bags to reduce plastic bags! I had a question about the glass jars of the potential future, would there be an efficient way to do a refill/swap mailback program?
I’m so glad you’re keen on the new packaging! The glass jars are for sure a future goal, but I’m not sure about an efficient refill / mailback program. I’ve gotten suggestions along those lines in the past, but the cost of the jars is so low that it literally costs more each way to ship the empty jar back to me and then back to the sender–and then there’s the extra work of keeping the jars straight (since it’s a health and beauty product I wouldn’t feel comfortable reusing jars without a good way to sterilize them). It is for sure something on my mind, though, and I’ll be looking for the best way to make that shift when we get there 🙂