Over the last few years there has been a big conversation surrounding single-use plastics and excess wasteful packaging which is having a detrimental impact on our environment. It’s great that there is an increased awareness of this important issue and to see lots of small businesses switching to more eco-friendly alternatives. With this is mind we want to take some time to talk through our packaging usage and what we’re doing to make a difference.

Being sustainable has always been a priority for us at Man Gun Bear, from the sourcing of our natural raw materials to our energy usage in the workshop and being responsible with our waste. It’s always been important to minimise our impact on the environment where possible. We support the Woodland Trust who do great work protecting and restoring our forests, and we only use wood that is sustainably sourced certified to ensure it comes from well managed forests.

We don't use any polythene mailbags or cellophane wraps to post out your orders and never have. Anything that is small enough to fit through your letterbox is sent in a padded envelope made from FSC certified paper, stamped with their logo of approval. Our envelopes are completely recyclable and no solvents are used in the production and printing of them. If your order is too big for an envelope we will post it in a cardboard wrap or well-fitting box which, again, can go straight in your recycling bin. We use natural crinkle cut paper filler or tissue to cushion any fragile items rather than polystyrene, and any bubble wrap you find in our packages will have been re-purposed from our incoming post.

For presentation, the majority of our products are packaged in small hessian gift bags. Hessian is an environmentally sustainable material to grown and produce as it uses traditional harvesting techniques and is naturally fast growing. It's also biodegradable which is a great asset and the bags can be reused for future gifts. We use a small selection of kraft card gift boxes for larger items which are made from fully recycled materials and can of course be recycled themselves too, and many of our metal products are presented in a made-to-order natural leather pouch.

There is always more to do and improvements to be made when it comes to sustainable living but by making plastics a priority we are taking steps in the right direction. When you shop with us you know that what you receive will be made up of items that are either natural, recycled or reusable, and that's something we are really proud of.