How Blue Elvin sourced sustainable packaging materials and saved costs using Sourceful
Packaging made of stone to reinforce a brand story
Introduction
Blue Elvin is a functional training brand that produces sportswear to protect women during barbell training. Each product is thoughtfully designed and must adhere to their ethical baseline: is it built to last? Blue Elvin wanted their e-commerce packaging to reflect these values but couldn’t find a key component: a pioneering paper made from stone. They partnered with Sourceful to help source the missing piece and produce their new sustainable bag.
The Challenge
Blue Elvin was searching for sustainable materials that would last and reflect the strength of their products and customers. They were after a mailer made of stone paper and a reusable Tyvek pouch. Stone paper doesn’t use any water or chemicals in production and is infinitely recyclable. Tyvek is waterproof, durable and resistant to bacteria. Both materials were incredibly difficult to source for an early-stage start-up with limited funds and time constraints.
Speaking with multiple suppliers in the UK and throughout Europe, Blue Elvin was unable to find any guidance on where and how best to source these materials. They spent four months looking and were left with expensive, low-quality versions. Blue Elvin needed a partner with the expertise to acquire their desired materials and to help save time and reduce their workload.
The Solution
Through Sourceful, Blue Elvin found an end-to-end solution for their mailer bag and pouch packaging requirements. Within six months, Sourceful secured a reliable supplier, ordered customised samples, negotiated lower MOQ's and initiated production, for Blue Elvin. Sourceful then delivered over 1000 stone paper mailer bags and Tyvek pouches to Blue Elvin all in time for their product launch.
“Working with Sourceful made the process so easy. They were able to source everything we wanted, with no compromises, and at a great cost. We've been recommending them to anyone we know looking for a packaging supplier!"Lamorna and Tamara Short, founders of Blue Elvin
The Result
Sourceful successfully delivered packaging to Blue Elvin in line with their ethical and sustainable values. Their sportswear now arrives in a 100% waterproof, chemical-resistant and reusable Tyvek pouch and a 100% recyclable stone paper mailer bag. Using Sourceful's expert guidance, Blue Elvin was also able to make a 33% cost saving on their stone mailer compared to their previous supplier. They now have the right environmentally friendly packaging to complement their groundbreaking sportswear.