There can be no doubt that eCommerce and online sales have seen an astronomical increase over the last five years.
With high street shops closing their brick-and-mortar stores and becoming online exclusive, to smaller businesses opening up with Shopify having never had a physical store to begin with. Though an amazing aspect of today’s society, having everything that you could need at the click of a button, online shopping does come with its challenges.
From additional packaging to the transport of goods, whether that be locally or internationally, we’re seeing a growing industry become more and more detrimental to our planet's health. Though not a new concept – we’re becoming all too aware of the environmental risk that a growing eCommerce space is posing.
For years now we have looked at consumerism as one of, if not THE biggest causes of global warming. And with an increase in online orders every day, this is only going to get worse… or is it?
As the demand for online goods increases so does retailers want to provide a sustainable business model. Over 78% of online businesses are looking to improve their carbon footprint and overall impact on the environment, and one of the first places that they’re looking to implement change is their fulfilment.
With more consumers opting to shop cleaner, and more businesses looking to improve their sustainability practices, we can see that the tides are turning on eCommerce when it comes to all things environmental.
Why is green fulfilment so important?
As one of the hardest yet most rewarding areas of your business, we know that the way you do your fulfilment has a lasting impact on your customers. Directly affecting your retention, return and complaints rates, fulfilment is the last point of contact your customers have with your business. With more environmentally conscious consumers, that lasting impression needs to be one that has sustainability in mind.
Adopting a clean focused, green fulfilment model not only enhances your business but positively influences the entirety of the eCommerce industry. By implementing environmentally friendly fulfilment practices, your business can operate at its full potential whilst still minimising the impact on our planet.
Don’t know where to start? Here are some simple yet very effective changes you can make:
- Swapping out plastic packaging for more sustainable paper or cardboard,
- Replacing bubble wrap with packing paper or recycled cardboard stuffing,
- Using greener couriers with electric vehicles,
- Having greener workplace initiatives such as walk or cycle-to-work schemes,
- Using technology to encourage a paperless workplace,
Taking on the right challenges.
When striving to enhance our environmental efforts, we take the risk of taking on too much. Though we commend the ambition, creating a strategic plan focusing on one or two controllable issues is the best place to start, encouraging sustainability – whilst still allowing for business growth. As an online retailer, there are plenty of smaller manageable changes which you can make to both your internal operations as well as your fulfilment model ensuring you’re doing your bit to encourage a greener, cleaner business.
One of, if not the best places to start when tackling green fulfilment is your use of plastic. We’re no strangers in the fulfilment world to single-use plastics, with the use of single-use plastics hitting 40.4 million tons in 2020 and an estimate of that rising to 48.5 million tons by 2025, reducing the amount we use can have a tremendous impact on the industry as a whole.
So what could this look like? Reducing single-use plastics means taking out all bubble wrap, plastic bags and other plastic elements from your packaging process.
With so many safe and secure alternatives, there are a multitude of ways in which you can transport your products from A to B without the need for excess harmful plastics. With over 4.5 billion kilograms of plastics directly connected to the eCommerce industry ending up in landfill and other refuse facilities it is essential that these alternative avenues are explored. By making a conscious effort to reduce your use of plastics, you can ensure you’re part of the solution and not part of the problem! As a community, let’s take action to ensure we see the industry reduce its plastic waste – not quadruple it.
By swapping plastic for paper, you can significantly reduce the volume of waste generated by the eCommerce fulfilment industry through its packaging practices. This simple switch is an effective and meaningful way to contribute to protecting our planet and promoting a more sustainable future.
Say no to excess packaging.
It’s safe to say that we’ve all been shocked at the amount of packaging certain companies use for such small, non-fragile products. Consumers are now accustomed to getting larger boxes filled with paper and one small second box. That is why step two in our journey to committing to greener practices centres around product-appropriate packaging. Reducing both your, and your customers’ carbon footprint.
As an eCommerce business committing to selecting appropriate packaging for your products can be the difference between contributing to excessive waste and helping to reduce it. Training warehouse staff to utilise space effectively can make a massive difference and help you to be a sustainability-focused business.
Sitting in the same ballpark – getting the right packaging supplier can also help you to reduce your waste or at least ensure the waste that you DO create is recyclable. Look at sustainable packaging suppliers who offer a range of shapes, sizes and product-specific packaging to ensure that no matter what product lands on your pack bench, you’ve got the the box, sleeve or bag ready to go!
Just this one small yet mighty change will go a long way to reducing your businesses’ contribution to the UK’s landfill crisis.
Get on board with green suppliers.
No two eCommerce businesses are the same, and the same goes for packaging suppliers!
That is why, when it comes to packaging, you need to make sure you’re making the best decision for your business. There are plenty of businesses that utilise non-sustainable packaging providers who knowingly opt for single-use plastics over more sustainable paper or cardboard options. This is a problem for businesses looking to improve their green agenda.
That being said, a lot of the time eCommerce business owners are looking to help improve their carbon footprint and are willing to invest in a more sustainable packaging supplier.
At SCEND we surveyed our clients in reference to greener suppliers and over 97% of those surveyed stated that they would prefer to use eco-friendly packaging even if that meant an additional charge.
There are plenty of high-quality green packaging suppliers who specialise in 100% recycled or recyclable packaging options! A fantastic example of this is Lil Packaging. Lil Packaging specialises in safe, secure and sustainable packaging options which have a zero-plastic promise. Lil Packaging provides packaging which has a smart locking system helping to reduce mail theft whilst also being environmentally sound. With their packaging comprising of 100% recycled or recyclable materials, you can rest assured that your packaging was and will be given a new lease of life as soon as your customers are done enjoying their goods!
Invest in the right technology!
One of the biggest investments that you can make when trying to improve your commitment to greener logistics is investing in the right technology. Getting on board with new software and digital advancements is the best way to drastically reduce your internal paper waste. Having the right technology allows you to create a paperless picking and packing model which should promote greener working environments.
Utilising technology to minimise waste not only enables you to make a meaningful positive impact on your carbon footprint but also enhances the precision and accuracy of orders dispatched from your warehouse. Reducing the need for paper and having a more digital operation adds another level of accuracy ensuring that customers receive exactly what they ordered, reducing errors and returns while prompting greater satisfaction rates. It's a win-win scenario that benefits both the environment and your customers!
Speak to the professionals.
As we’ve discussed, there are plenty of changes which you can make in-house to ensure that your eCommerce fulfilment uses much greener practices. And whilst these smaller changes can be a great start – having a full green operation in place is the best way to ensure that your small or even big corner of the internet is not adding to the impact eCommerce is having on the environment, rather creating a sustainable area which sets an example for new and growing businesses.
That is why getting the right assistance from professionals can be the difference between having a solid green fulfilment plan and failing at the first hurdle.
Working alongside a 3PL, which has a solid green fulfilment plan in place, is one of the best decisions you can make when taking on the challenge of being carbon neutral.
Many 3PL’s or third-party-logistics providers work hard to solidify their green promise. With access to the best technology, a 3PL will work with you to ensure they can provide paperless solutions for your eCommerce fulfilment needs. In addition to this, they will have partnerships with packaging providers that are committed to zero-plastic operations and can assist in ensuring that the packaging is not only environmentally sound, but safe and secure too.
Further to this, a quality fulfilment centre will also work alongside a range of couriers that have a full fleet of green vehicles, use internal green practices and so much more.
Working alongside a 3PL such as SCEND can help your business to take the next level in your commitment to green fulfilment. We’ve undertaken a commitment to reducing both our own carbon footprint and our customers whilst still providing the quality of service that our clients have come to expect reflecting our commitment to sustainability and operational excellence.
For more information on green fulfilment by SCEND, take a look at our dedicated page.
Or to speak to the team to get started.
