3P Direct

How ethical is 3P Direct?

3P Direct is a packaging company which has fallen below The GOOD Shopping Guide’s ethical benchmark on our Ethical Packaging Ratings Table. While 3P Direct performs well across several individual criteria, its overall performance does not meet the standard required, though the gap is narrow enough that targeted improvements could bring the company above the threshold.

What does 3P Direct do?

3P Direct Ltd, trading as The Print and Packaging People, was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The company operates a Packaging Division supplying transit packaging including cardboard boxes, postal packaging, strapping, and stretch film, alongside a Print Media Division supplying commercial print and promotional products.

Why does 3P Direct fall below The GOOD Shopping Guide’s benchmark?

3P Direct’s below-benchmark performance is driven by two key poor ratings. Most critically, the company receives a poor rating for its environmental report. For a packaging company operating in a sector where environmental transparency is increasingly expected as a baseline standard, the absence of a published environmental report represents a significant gap. Publishing a comprehensive environmental report that discloses sustainability performance, carbon footprint, and waste reduction commitments would be the single most impactful step 3P Direct could take to demonstrate accountability to its customers and improve its ethical standing.

3P Direct also receives a poor rating for vegan options, indicating limited focus on plant-based or vegan-certified packaging solutions within its product range. The packaging sector has seen considerable growth in sustainable and plant-based alternatives to conventional transit packaging materials, and expanding into this area would both improve the company’s ethical rating and align with growing customer demand.

Beyond these poor ratings, 3P Direct’s toxic chemicals policy and fossil fuels ratings are both acceptable rather than good, indicating further room for improvement in chemical management and energy transition commitments.

It is worth noting that 3P Direct achieves good ratings across several criteria, including pollution prevention, animal welfare, responsible marketing, political donations, and armaments, and has no documented public record criticisms. This suggests the company’s below-benchmark performance reflects gaps in environmental transparency and product range rather than fundamental ethical failings, and that targeted action in these areas could realistically bring 3P Direct above the threshold.

Consumers seeking packaging solutions that meet The GOOD Shopping Guide’s ethical benchmark are encouraged to consult our Ethical Packaging Ratings Table and our guide to ethical packaging, and prioritise brands that hold Ethical Accreditation. Several higher-ranking alternatives in this sector have achieved independent ethical verification and represent stronger choices for ethically conscious consumers. Our how we rate page explains the criteria used to assess all brands in this sector.