The Surumail postcards are made from squid created by the Susami fishing co-operative. The recipe for this postcard is not ordinary: It consists of dried surume squid that is flattened and packed into the shape of a postcard along with an adhesive label for you to write down a short message, the postage and delivery address.
Each of the Surumail postcards costs under $3 USD.
Implications - While the postal industry has seen a massive decline in mail volume following the mass adoption of email, consumers are still sending "snail mail." Innovative stationery companies are remaining competitive in this market by creating eco-friendly products that are edible, biodegradable or printed with recycled ink.
What's Driving This Trend
- Eco-friendly Stationery
- Opportunity for innovative stationery companies to create eco-friendly products such as edible and biodegradable postcards.
- Sustainable Packaging
- Potential for packaging companies to embrace sustainable practices by using edible materials like dried squid for postcards.
- Personalized Messaging
- Opportunity to enhance the snail mail experience by providing postcards with customizable adhesive labels for short messages.
Who This Affects Most
- Stationery
- Stationery companies can explore eco-friendly and edible products to remain competitive in the declining mail industry.
- Packaging
- Packaging companies can adopt sustainable practices by using unconventional materials like dried squid for unique postcard packaging.
- Postal Services
- Postal services can enhance the snail mail experience by offering personalized messaging options with adhesive label postcards.
