The Packaging
Today I want to talk about another very important aspect of Umbruma “drumrolls” … the packaging. How it came together, who makes it, and why it took longer than expected. I’m beyond happy with the results of the product box and the fact that every element used for packaging is sustainable.
The Search
This took longer than expected. Not because it was complicated, but because I refused to compromise on many aspects. For months I looked at options. Some were online-only manufacturers based elsewhere in the EU, some could do single unit minimums which was appealing, but none could properly guarantee the sustainability of their materials. Good looking websites, vague answers when you asked the right questions. Don’t get me wrong some of the proposals where really beautiful and the boxes looked amazing but again, I couldn’t know where the material comes from, who really made them and where , are there any pictures to see the working conditions ? a looooot of vague answers. Other manufactures ticked all the boxes but they asked a minimum of 100 units , even 1000 units ( crazy ), simply could not afford it nor do I need 1000 boxes. I was also looking into buying silk paper and box feeling but that I could buy from the same place if possible. Could not find , it was either buy the box here but the paper in another shop.
Encaja Packaging
Then I found Encaja Packaging. I don’t remember exactly how I came across them. I think it was an insta ad, or I did see them before but I brushed them off cuz I didn’t see the eco line ? possible. But before placing any order I went in person to their factory and offices in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, just outside Barcelona. Everything is in one place, the production floor, the offices, the showroom. I got a tour of the whole thing. The place was immaculate. Love that it’s mostly women working there. Family run. The kind of place that has clearly been doing this for a very long time, and little did I know that it was indeed.
When you enter the plant, you leave the car in a small covered parking area and on the walls around it leading to the offices upstairs is a bit of history on the brand. Encaja is the newer brand, launched in 2020, but it comes from the Evaristo Riera Group, a Barcelona family business that has been making boxes since 1871. Over 150 years ( mind blown). They started making luxury boxes for pastry shops and chocolate makers. They definitely kept that precision and care for the product till today.
In the showroom the sales rep walked me through all their types of boxes, finishes and customisation options. What I fell in love with immediately was their Eco Line. It looks like architectural models, minimal, clean, structured. Stronger than you would think just by looking at it, yet really light. And the Nature finish in particular: a cream coloured cardboard with a beautiful paper texture, made from 100% recycled material, a recycled central core with two virgin fibre papers laminated on the exterior faces. I have to admit I hesitated between this one and the craft brown natural finish which was really nice in person. I also kind fell in love with their velvet covered book styles boxes as well. Stunning texture and colours, but they were not made from 100 % recycled paper.
For the personalisation I went with a simple embossed stamp of the Umbruma logo and name, centred on the box, 11 by 7 centimetres, no extra finish. The result is a shadow effect. The logo sitting inward, visible by touch as much as by sight. Clean, minimal, exactly what I wanted. They really delivered
From first contact to having the boxes delivered I would say it took about a month. Pretty gooood.
Kartox
For the inside and the shipping box, I went to Kartox. I found them on Google Maps searching for ” productores de cajas”, sometimes that is how it works lol . Their factory, showroom and physical shop are all in one place in Vilafranca del Penedès, just down the road from Sant Boi. We went in person on a Saturday. A lovely woman there helped us find everything we needed ( I don’t remember her name but I do know that she was the sales rep there)
Kartox is a packaging manufacturer based in the Penedès whose entire product range is made from recycled paper, and they hold the FSC sustainability certification. Their philosophy is aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and they position cardboard as the material for change in packaging, efficient, versatile, recyclable and even compostable. So that’s a win right there.
From them I sourced the shredded paper filler, the silk paper for wrapping, and the outer shipping box. All 100% recycled cardboard. The outer box dimensions fit perfectly around the Encaja gift box ( thank goodness cuz its an already made dimension that I can buy at any time), Another victory for me.
So every Umbruma order leaves in three layers. The piece wrapped in silk paper, nestled in shredded paper filler, inside the Encaja gift box, inside the Kartox shipping box. Everything recycled. Everything made within a short drive of the atelier.
On the EU packaging regulations
While all of this was happening, the EU was finalising the PPWR, a new regulation on e-commerce packaging that came into effect in August 2026. It requires packaging to be right-sized, recyclable and traceable, and puts the full responsibility on the seller.
In principle, all of this is correct and necessary. But the reality for a small autonomous artisan selling across EU borders is considerably more complicated. Registering as a producer in each country you sell to, keeping documentation, navigating compliance requirements. This is not designed for a one person operation making handmade pieces one at a time. It is designed for businesses with legal teams. During this period ,less now, I’ve seen a lot of artisanal studios in different EU countries just stop shipping because of this . Its inanity that they are asking us the register in every country we want to sell in. Again , for big companies that have the legal department and the money for it ( cuz yes its gonna cuz thousands more per year), this is a simple task. Not for us Artisans, freelancers or small family companies. It’s crazy.
I genuinely hope that EU institutions start remembering that small makers exist, and that the rules that govern large scale e-commerce operations do not translate cleanly to someone crocheting one piece at a time in a basement atelier in Sitges. like be for real. People were pissed in the comments on insta and rightfully so.