Thoughtful Packaging

At McIntosh, natural fibres are at the heart of what we do, and we believe the way your order reaches you deserves just as much thought as what is inside it.

Packaging with purpose

We make a conscious choice not to add unnecessary plastic packaging to our orders. Instead, wherever we can, the packaging we use at McIntosh is made from paper and cardboard — materials chosen to be both practical and recyclable.

For larger orders, we use strong double-walled corrugated cardboard boxes. They offer excellent protection for our yarns, fibres and other products, particularly on longer journeys and international deliveries, without the need for plastic outer packaging.

The cardboard packaging we purchase is FSC-certified, meaning its forest-based materials come from sources that meet the Forest Stewardship Council's standards for responsible sourcing. We choose our packaging suppliers carefully and look for materials that combine protection, practicality and responsible sourcing.

Smaller orders are treated with the same care. Wherever appropriate, we use recyclable paper and cardboard postal packs and bags, keeping the amount of packaging to what is genuinely needed to protect your order.

It's in the details

We also think carefully about the smaller things that accompany your order. Our McIntosh thank-you cards and our own-brand yarn bands use a biodegradable laminate and are recyclable, allowing us to achieve the finish and protection they need while keeping their environmental impact in mind.

It is a small detail, but an important one. We believe thoughtful packaging isn't simply about the box your order arrives in; it is about considering every element we add to it.

No unnecessary plastic

We simply don't believe in adding plastic where it isn't needed.

Occasionally, an item — such as a set of knitting needles — arrives with us already enclosed in protective plastic packaging by its manufacturer. In those instances, we leave the original packaging in place rather than remove it and replace it with something new. It keeps the product clean and protected and avoids creating waste simply for the sake of changing the packaging.

What we don't do is add plastic packaging of our own to your order.

From us to you

Our orders are sent with Royal Mail, and our outgoing post is collected directly from us in an electric Royal Mail van.

For us, that feels like a natural extension of the care we put into preparing each parcel. Royal Mail is continuing to expand its electric delivery fleet as part of its move towards lower-emission collections and deliveries.

A natural approach

McIntosh is, at heart, a natural-fibre company. We love beautiful wool and other natural fibres: their character, their quality and the extraordinary things that can be made from them.

Our approach to packaging follows the same philosophy of keeping things considered and uncomplicated: paper and cardboard wherever we can, no unnecessary plastic, recyclable materials and strong, protective packaging chosen from responsible sources.

From our FSC-certified cardboard boxes to our recyclable yarn bands and thank-you cards, we consider the details as well as the bigger picture.

It may be a small part of what we do, but when many parcels leave our doors, small choices matter.

We want your McIntosh order to arrive beautifully protected, thoughtfully packed and ready to enjoy — without leaving you with a pile of unnecessary plastic once you've opened it.