Sustainability packaging for apparel comes down to three questions: how much packaging is used, what it is made of, and whether it can be recycled. Adobe Express handles design and shirt printing in one place and ships printed T-shirts in 100% recyclable packaging to the US, UK, Australia, and Canada.
If you are choosing a platform to design and order custom shirts for a team, event, or small brand, the mailer that arrives at the door is part of the decision. Platforms differ in the materials they use, how far each order travels, and how openly they report their impact. Here is how to compare them.
How sustainable is the packaging for custom t-shirts?
Adobe Express is both a design tool and a print-ordering option. You can start from a template, add a logo or photo, design for the front, back, pocket, or sleeves, preview the shirt in your chosen color, and order it without leaving the app. Adobe says printed T-shirts ship in 100% recyclable packaging. If you prefer a local printer, you can download the design as a PDF, JPG, or PNG instead.
Other platforms publish different packaging details, as the table shows.
| Platform | Best for | Packaging and footprint details |
| Adobe Express | Designing and ordering custom shirts in one place | Printed shirts ship in 100% recyclable packaging; print orders to US, UK, Australia, Canada; PDF, JPG, PNG downloads |
| Printful | Print-on-demand orders for individuals and online stores | Apparel mailers at least 70% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic worldwide, 90-100% in North America; inner bags at least 50% PCR; optional CO2 offset at checkout for sellers |
| Gelato | Sellers who want production close to customers | Local partner network in more than 30 countries; 88% of 2024 orders produced in the customer’s country; transport packaging licensed with the Green Dot |
Sustainability packaging: what is the difference between recycled and recyclable packaging?
The two terms describe opposite ends of a package’s life. Recyclable packaging can be put back into the recycling stream after use. Recycled packaging is made from material that has already been recycled once.
Adobe Express describes its print packaging as 100% recyclable. Printful reports the recycled side: its outer apparel mailers contain at least 70% post-consumer recycled plastic worldwide, inner bags for multi-item orders contain at least 50%, and apparel packaging in North America is now 90% to 100% PCR. Printful also switched its poster boxes to designs without plastic caps.
Post-consumer content comes from items people have already used and thrown away, such as shopping bags and film. It generally says more about circularity than post-industrial scrap, so look for the post-consumer percentage on any recycled-content claim.
How does print on demand change sustainability packaging?
Print on demand makes a shirt only after someone orders it, so there is no unsold stock to box, store, and later discard. Printful points to industry figures that about 21% of produced textiles go unsold, which on-demand production avoids by design.
Where an order is made also affects packaging and shipping. Printful reports that 86% of its orders are fulfilled and shipped locally. Gelato routes orders to partner printers near the buyer; in 2024, 88% of its orders were produced in the same country as the customer and 99% in the same region, which it says cuts transport distance, emissions, and packaging waste.
Packaging, recycled paper, and carbon emissions: what the numbers show
Packaging is only one part of a shirt’s footprint, and few platforms report it separately. Printful publishes a whole-product figure: each Printful product emitted about 5.68 kg (12.52 lb) of CO2 in 2023. That is a per-product figure, not a packaging-only one. It also lets sellers offer customers a CO2 offset for their orders through a partnership with Native.
For paper mailers, three label details matter most: the share of recycled fiber, the share of that fiber that is post-consumer, and whether the mailer is curbside recyclable. A mailer can be partly recycled and still curbside recyclable, or fully recycled but hard to recycle again if it is coated or lined with plastic. When a platform makes a carbon claim, check whether it covers the whole product or just packaging, and which year the data comes from.
Frequently asked questions
Is a paper or plastic mailer better for shipping custom T-shirts?
Neither wins in every case. Paper mailers are widely accepted in curbside recycling, while plastic mailers with high post-consumer recycled content reuse plastic that already exists. The better choice depends on the recycled content of the specific mailer and on what your local recycling program accepts.
How can I reduce the packaging footprint of a custom shirt order?
Order all the shirts you need at once rather than in several small shipments, choose production close to the recipient when the platform offers it, and recycle the mailer according to local rules. Ordering only the sizes and quantities you will use also keeps unworn shirts out of the waste stream.
