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Sustainable packaging made to measure for businesses

Recycled, recyclable or reusable: we develop packaging with you whose sustainability you can prove to your customers, retailers and regulators.

  • Meeting GOTS, GRS, FSC or Blauer Engel requirements
  • Made to measure from 500 pieces, stock items from 100
  • Production in Europe or South-East Asia
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What is sustainable packaging?

Packaging is sustainable when it does its job over its whole life cycle with the lowest possible environmental impact: production, transport, use and disposal. The material alone does not decide this; paper is not automatically better than plastic. For businesses, five criteria count, and each one can be checked:

  • Less material: a made-to-measure size without unnecessary empty space.
  • Recyclable: ideally made of one material that existing recycling streams can process.
  • Recycled content: material made from recyclate, proven for example with GRS.
  • Responsible raw materials: paper and board with FSC, organic cotton with GOTS.
  • Reusable: a bag your customer goes on to use for storage.

Since 27 September 2026, proof counts twice over: if you sell to consumers in the EU, Directive (EU) 2024/825 bans generic claims such as ‘eco-friendly’ without evidence, as well as climate-neutral claims based on offsetting. Willems Packaging has supplied sustainable packaging solutions for home textiles, bedding, retail, hospitality and healthcare since 1987.

All about sustainable packaging
How can we help with your packaging question?

Sustainable packaging for your sector

What counts as sustainable depends on the use: a hotel needs something different from an online shop or a maker of baby products. Choose your sector.

Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen
Hospitality packaging
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen
Healthcare & Medical packaging
Durable carrying bag for baby nest / kids bean bag
Baby & Kids product packaging
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen
Living & Interior packaging
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen
Retail & E-commerce packaging
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen
Mono-material packaging
View all sustainable packaging products

Developing sustainable packaging: six points

Dimensions
Made to measure: less material, less empty space, less transport volume.
Learn more

Materials

Recycled, recyclable or renewable – with proof.
Learn more

Colours

Transparent and light-coloured films produce higher-quality recyclate.
Learn more

Purpose

Reduce, reuse, recycle: the right strategy for each product.
Learn more

Printing

Targeted printing, and labels only with a certified supply chain.
Learn more

Certificates

GOTS, GRS, FSC and Blauer Engel: sustainability you can prove.
Learn more

Dimensions

The most sustainable packaging is packaging that is no bigger than it needs to be. Because much of our work is made to measure, the size follows your product: less material, less filler, more products per pallet and per vehicle. If you sell in the EU, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) makes this mandatory from 2030: weight and volume must be kept to what is necessary, and grouped, transport and e-commerce packaging may contain no more than 50% empty space.

Materials

Every material has a sustainable route and a way to prove it. We also make these examples from our range in your size:

Sustainable materials and proof

Material and proof

Example from our range

Recycled PP non-woven (RPET) · GRS

Curtain bag made of recycled PP non-woven

Recycled cotton · GRS

Recycled cotton bag, GRS certified

Organic cotton · GOTS

Cotton bag GOTS

Paper · FSC, recyclable with paper waste

Paper carrier bag with die-cut handle, FSC certified

Mono-material paper

Mono-material bag for duvet, made of paper

LDPE · mono-material, recyclable, also with recycled content

Recyclable LDPE bag for mattress

Which material performs best depends on the product, the transport route and the use: paper is renewable, but often needs more material than a thin film for the same protection. We go through the pros and cons of each option with you. More on packaging made from a single material: mono-material packaging.

Colours

Colour affects recycling too. Transparent and light-coloured plastic films produce higher-quality recyclate than dark-coloured ones; many sorting plants cannot detect plastics coloured black with carbon black. So we use your brand colour selectively: in 1 to 98 colours, specified as a Pantone reference, in the print or on details such as the zip and binding tape.

Purpose

Sustainability can be improved in several ways, often in combination:

Strategy and example

Strategy

Example

Reduce

a made-to-measure size instead of a standard size with filler

Reuse

a pillow or duvet bag with a zip that your customer keeps as a storage bag; a laundry bag in a hotel. See pillow packaging and duvet packaging

Recycle

mono-material paper or LDPE that goes into the paper or packaging waste collection

Use recycled material

RPET, recycled cotton or LDPE with recycled content

Printing

Your logo belongs on the packaging, but selectively: a smaller print area and fewer colours save material. A label such as GOTS or GRS may only appear on the packaging if the entire supply chain is certified. For packaging sold in the EU, the PPWR also introduces harmonised labelling of material composition, so that your customers sort the packaging correctly.

Certificates

Willems Packaging supplies packaging that meets the requirements of GOTS, GRS, Blauer Engel and FSC. A verified label is the simplest proof for your customers and retailers.

Sustainability labels

Label

Requirement and use

GOTS

at least 70% organic fibres, 95% for the ‘organic’ label. For cotton and canvas.

GRS

at least 20% recycled material, 50% for the logo on the product. For RPET and recycled fibres.

Blauer Engel

German ecolabel (Blue Angel) with criteria for each product group.

FSC

paper and board from responsibly managed forests. For paper bags, boxes and inserts.

What applies when (if you sell in the EU)

Date

Rule

12 August 2026

The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) applies across the EU.

27 September 2026

Directive (EU) 2024/825: no generic environmental claims without proof and no climate-neutral claims based on offsetting towards consumers.

2030

All packaging recyclable; weight and volume kept to what is necessary; no more than 50% empty space in grouped, transport and e-commerce packaging; minimum recycled content in plastic packaging, 35% for most.

2040

Higher recycled content, 65% for most plastic packaging.

If you sell in the EU, extended producer responsibility for packaging also applies in every member state where you place packaged products on the market.

Your sustainable packaging supplier since 1987

Since 1987

From Rijssen in the Netherlands, right on the German border, we have been developing made-to-measure packaging for more than 35 years. One fixed contact person supports you from the first sketch to delivery.

700 customers

More than 700 companies have chosen Willems Packaging as their packaging supplier, often for many years.

More than 25 countries

Our packaging goes to more than 25 countries. You choose production in Europe or South-East Asia, depending on lead time, budget and transport route.
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen

Having sustainable packaging made: in 4 steps

Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen

1. Getting to know you

Getting to know you

Send us your current packaging or your product and your goal: less plastic, more recycled content, a specific label or a retail partner’s requirements. We establish what the packaging needs to do.
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen

2. Design

Design

We propose options for material, size and print and calculate the unit price. With a sample, you test the packaging with your product. Allow at least one month for design and sample.
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen

3. Production

Production

Once you approve, we produce in Europe (4 to 6 weeks, including delivery by lorry) or in South-East Asia (10 to 14 weeks, including sea freight to Europe). Producing in Europe shortens the transport route. Minimum order quantity: 500 pieces.
Sustainable packaging | Willems Packaging Rijssen

4. Delivery

Delivery

We store your packaging in Rijssen and deliver on call-off throughout Europe. This lets you order a larger run at a better price without needing your own storage space.

Quick answers to common questions

Five points you can check: as little material as possible, recyclability, a share of recycled material, responsible raw materials (for example FSC or GOTS) and reusability. Which points matter depends on the product, the transport route and the use.

Not automatically. Paper is renewable and recycles well with paper waste, but often needs more material for the same protection. A thin film made of a single plastic such as LDPE is also recyclable and protects well against moisture. We compare the options for your product.

When selling to consumers in the EU, only with proof. Since 27 September 2026, Directive (EU) 2024/825 bans generic environmental claims such as ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ if you cannot substantiate them, as well as climate-neutral claims based on offsetting. Specific, verifiable statements such as ‘made from 100% recycled material, GRS certified’ remain possible.

If you sell in the EU: the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) has applied since 12 August 2026. From 2030, all packaging must be recyclable, weight and volume must be kept to what is necessary, and plastic packaging needs a minimum share of recycled content. Switching now to made-to-measure, recyclable packaging means you are prepared.

Packaging made as far as possible from one type of material, for example only paper or only LDPE. This makes recycling easier, because the parts do not need to be separated. Read more in our article on mono-material packaging.

For textiles, GOTS (organic fibres) and GRS (recycled material); for paper and board, FSC; for the German market, also the Blauer Engel. Which label fits depends on the material.

Yes, in 1 to 98 colours. A label logo such as GOTS or GRS may only appear on the packaging if the supply chain is certified. You receive a proof before production.

That depends on the material. Recycled materials and certified supply chains often cost a little more; a made-to-measure size, on the other hand, saves material and transport volume. We work out the options for you.

Made-to-measure packaging from 500 pieces per order. Stock packaging from 100 pieces; it usually reaches recipients in Europe within 1 to 3 working days.

Yes, this is often possible. A sample made to your own design may involve costs; ask us about the options beforehand.

  • from stock, delivery in Europe: 1 to 3 working days
  • design and sample: from 1 month
  • production in Europe after approval: 4 to 6 weeks
  • production in South-East Asia after approval, including sea freight: 10 to 14 weeks

Willems Packaging supplies companies in more than 25 countries from Rijssen in the Netherlands, right on the German border.