Where Your Dollars Go

Godspeed: good fortune; success (used as a wish to a person starting on a journey, a new venture, etc.)

Two weeks in a row.  Hey, I’m not being lazy, I’m on a roll, and I recognize it when someone has something important to say – and that it should be amplified. 

So, this issue I’m turning the steering wheel over to Michelle Hirons of HigherRing.  Like Janice Stevenor Dale last week (The Future of Work), Michelle’s firm is B Corp certified and a 1% for the Planet member, as well as a bunch more certifications you can see in the graphic embedded later in this post.

And, as with Janice, Michelle definitely has something to say, and I think we all need to hear it.

Recently, she’s been running a five-part series on LinkedIn called, “Where Your Dollars Go.”  I’m keen on the subject of the power of our business spending, having written about it here before (The Impact Multiplier Effect and Money = Energy = Community), and when I read Michelle’s thoughts I just knew I had to share them with you.

If you're interested in reading the entire series of posts, you can find them on Michelle's LinkedIn page.

Oh, full disclosure – I’ve worked for Michelle’s company in the past on branding assignments, and I'm also a long-time client of HigherRing for bookkeeping services.  They do great work and live the values they espouse.  And it’s principled stands like that expressed in today’s post that not only keep me paying their invoices each month, but also have me standing up and applauding.

Godspeed friends,

Russ

Packaging That Comes With A Political Agenda

by Michelle Hirons

The yellow Uline catalog shows up in mailrooms everywhere. Elizabeth Uihlein's personal column runs inside it, and that column is a channel for far-right politics aimed straight at customers.

Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein put more than $144 million into conservative groups in the 2024 cycle, which made them the third-largest political donors in the country. That money has funded groups tied to January 6th, efforts to overturn the 2020 election, federal abortion bans, and anti-transgender legislation.

When you buy a box from Uline, you help pay for that.

The good news is there is no shortage of alternatives that match Uline on price and speed without the politics. EcoEnclose for recycled, domestically made mailers and boxes. Atlantic Packaging, the first packaging company in North America to set a net-zero science-based target. Acorn Paper on the West Coast. Grainger for industrial scale.

You'll find a note (below) on what each one is good for, since the right pick depends on where you are and what you ship.

At HigherRing, we shared this guidance with every client we knew was buying from Uline, and almost all of them have switched. Your packaging order is a vote. Spend it somewhere better. Tell a friend. 

Certified B Corps (my top picks):

EcoEnclose (ecoenclose.com). Certified B Corp, and climate neutral certified. Recycled and FSC-certified mailers, boxes, and custom packaging, made domestically. Best for purpose-driven ecommerce brands anywhere, since they ship nationally.

The Better Packaging Co. (betterpackaging.com). Certified B Corp. Home-compostable, plant-based packaging. Best for brands that want genuinely compostable mailers, and they ship internationally.

Grounded Packaging (groundedpackaging.co). Certified B Corp. Plastic-free and recycled packaging, including compostable films. Best for brands trying to get plastic out of their packaging.

Excellent and values-vetted, but not yet B Corps:

Atlantic Packaging (atlanticpkg.com). First packaging company in North America to set a net-zero science-based target, CDP A rating, 100% recycled materials, FSC-certified, family-owned. Best for midsize and larger operations, strongest in the Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest, with a Reno facility for the West Coast.

Acorn Paper Products (acorn-paper.com). Family-owned since 1946, FSC-certified, in-house manufacturing for fast lead times. Best for West Coast businesses that need quick turnaround (California plus Miami).

Unicorr (unicorr.com). FSC and Sustainable Forestry Initiative certified, 84% recycled material, solar-powered facilities. Best for Mid-Atlantic and Southeast businesses.

P.S. from Russ: I’ll add here that as the guy working the front desk at my coworking space, Inspiration Alley, I also get to see the environmental impacts of Uline’s direct marketing when it lands at the reception desk.  Uline carpet bombs its customers and prospects with direct mail ranging from small brochures to weighty catalogs.  And they do it on a frequent basis.  Recipients of these mailers generally send them straight into the recycling – better than being thrown away, but also an indiscriminate use of our resources.

🤔 Think About It

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." Upton Sinclair

💥 Quick Hits

• New Book Alert - I'm a big fan of my B Corp compatriot Tom Greenwood because he thinks deeply and originally in ways that I wish I could, but can't. And he's out with a new book I can't wait to read: Overton's Window, an invitation to "unlimit" your thinking on sustainability and creating a better world. Ordering it myself right now.
• Evolving For The Environment - 1% for the Planet is making some BIG changes to its certification model with new features and contribution pathways.
• I'll Take "Complete Common Sense" for $1000 - In the category of complete common sense, California is testing out covering its irrigation canals with solar panels – generating energy AND saving water by decreasing evaporation.

They Will Always Be My Super Heroes