Sustainability has become a huge driver in decision making for most businesses, but one specific sector which has been identified as a big offender for carbon emissions is eCommerce. It’s not surprising that online retail has such a negative impact on the environment when you consider the sheer amount of parcels sent every single day worldwide. Then try to imagine the volume of packaging all of these parcels entail, and you’ll start to understand the scale of the issue.
Online shopping has steadily been overtaking traditional retail for quite some time now, and since the start of the pandemic, eCommerce has seen a huge boost. Particularly with customer groups who previously weren’t confident shopping online or thought they preferred visiting a physical shop, this forced shift in behaviour will certainly have a positive long-term effect for online retail.
Seeing as things are showing no signs of calming down for online stores, as business owners – small, medium or even a huge global company – it’s clear that we need to take action on the impact eCommerce is having on the environment. And overhauling your packaging is one of the biggest yet most simple changes you can make to take action. It’s not just about switching to using cardboard boxes to ship your products in either, there’s so much more to it. We’ve got some easy steps you can take to make your packing line more eco friendly, and in turn reduce the impact on our planet.
Use recycled or recyclable packaging
Of course, the biggest way you can impact the carbon footprint of your packing line, is to consider the packaging you use. In order to find the most eco-friendly options for your business, we recommend considering the size, shape and nature of the products you’re sending. If you’re sending soft items which don’t need much protection such as clothing, then mailing bags are probably the best suited packaging for you. Whereas if you’re sending sturdier items such as books or boxed toys, then cardboard boxes are your best bet. Cardboard boxes are one of the most sustainable items of packaging you can choose, so long as you’re using the right sizes. If you end up sending a small item in a box which is far too big, then the carbon footprint for that item will end up much bigger than it needs to be. Which is why mailing bags when made from a recyclable or compostable material, are still an eco-friendly choice, particularly for items which aren’t at risk of being damaged in transit. Take all of these points into consideration, and you’ll find the right balance for your business.
Remove unnecessary padding
Once you’ve decided on what to pack your items in, you might need to consider how you’re going to protect the items within. As we mentioned above, choosing the right size packaging for an order is the first step in keeping an order safe. The bigger the box, the more space there is for an item to rattle and move around in transit. When aiming to make your packing line more eco friendly, try to use as little padding in a parcel as you can – the goal is to add in just enough to protect the item/s, without going crazy. There are also sustainable options for padding, such as polystyrene style chips which are soluble in water or are biodegradable. Some companies even just use scrunched up recycled paper as padding – another innovative option which also combats waste! Sometimes thinking outside the box is a great way to find sustainable options.
Consider alternative products
As well as eco-friendly packaging and padding, there are other sustainable switches you can make to continue improving your carbon footprint. As the eco-friendly market continues to grow, more and more alternative, greener products have come onto the market. From Kraft paper tape, as an alternative to parcel tape, to paper bubble wrap. Technology has really opened up this market, and we expect to see more and more sustainable packaging products come onto the market over the next few years. So keep your eyes peeled!
Order in bulk
If you’re really getting serious about cutting down your carbon footprint, and you’ve already ticked the above boxes, believe it or not there are still small changes and improvements you can make to go that step further towards a sustainable business. When it comes to becoming more eco friendly, being organised is everything. You might not think it would have any impact, but by ordering your packing supplies in bulk not only could you potentially save yourself money, but you’re also cutting down on your carbon footprint by having items delivered all in one go. Something to think about next time you suddenly run out of parcel tape and have to make a panicked last minute order on Amazon Prime!
When it comes to being more sustainable, sometimes you do have to get creative and be open to trying new products. But these small product swaps and changes to your production line do all add up, and can have a huge impact to your business overall – including boosting your bottom line! If you’re still not quite convinced about whether it’s worthwhile the time and effort that goes into researching these sustainable switches, you might want to carry on reading. We’re going to take a look at how sustainable switches could seriously boost your business.
How can sustainable swaps benefit my business?
As blunt as it may sound, most business owners only care about one thing – and that’s making a profit! We get it, without profit you wouldn’t have a business in the first place. So it can be hard to justify investing in sustainable products, if you can buy non-sustainable products for a lower cost. But, if you’re clever about it, making more sustainable choices can actually really benefit your business and mean more profit for you in the long run. We’ll share with you a few secrets to help you turn your sustainability into profit.
- Shout it from the rooftops
According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the Sustainability market will be worth $36.6 billion by 2025. That’s a huge market, and one you won’t want to miss out on. So you need to tell everyone and anyone who’ll listen that your business is sustainable. Send out email newsletters, post about it on your social media, write blog posts about it, create press pieces on local news sites, do all that you can. After all the ‘green pound‘ is big business now, and you won’t want to miss out on it. - Attracts top talent and investors
Younger generations, especially, are quite particular about the brands they want to be associated with, which overlaps into where they hope to work. If you’re looking for the best of the best in a particular skillset, then your business’ sustainable ethics could win over an undecided candidate. Your sustainability may also attract potential investors, who are smart enough to know that only adaptive businesses are going to survive and thrive in this new eco-friendly economy. - Improves brand image
If you’re able to successfully promote your business and your sustainable ethics, then the way in which potential, and already loyal, customers think about your business is going to improve drastically. Whether someone has a specific interest in sustainability or not, it never hurts for a business to show that they care and to come across more personable. Which of course, is going to eventually lead to an increase in sales and therefore profit. It’s a win, win!
If you weren’t convinced to make your packing line more eco friendly before, then we think we’ve probably just won you over. Ready to start getting sustainable? Check out our range of packing supplies, designed to help your business thrive and cut down your carbon footprint day by day.
