I have used brown paper bags in the past to rewrap boxes for shipping, but I never thought of making shipping envelopes from brown bags. This genius packaging idea reuses plastic grocery bags for waterproofing and brown paper bags to make the outer envelope. My favorite part is the stitching to close it up. No glue or tape necessary! This fabulous eco packaging idea from Linda Everett of LindaEve and the Eco Etsy Team. Linda developed this packaging to use for her beautiful bags made from neckties and repurposed fabrics. She shares a complete tutorial for making your own grocery bag shipping envelopes on the Eco Etsy Blog. She recommends wrapping the item to be shipped in a plastic grocery bag first to provide some waterproofing. But don’t tape the plastic bag, just wrap the item inside it, so the bag can be reused again by the recipient. The outer envelope is cut from a brown paper bag. You will probably get two envelopes per bag, more if your items are small. Instead of tape or glue, simply stitch the seams shut for a great handmade touch.

The Eco Etsy team is a group of Etsy sellers dedicated to reducing, reusing, and recycling. They are committed to using recycled materials in both their products and packaging. The Eco Etsy Blog is a great resource for eco-tips, product features, and how-to’s for all crafters and artists trying to go green.

P.S. Use your leftover brown paper bag scraps to make recipe cards or seed packet business cards.

[Images by Linda Everett for Eco Etsy Blog]