The Best Eco-Friendly Shipping Practices
SUSTAINABLE SHIPPING:
Happier Customers, Happier Planet
OVERVIEW
The first impression of an online purchase is in the way it is packed and shipped. From shipping materials to consolidated orders to carbon offsets - this article outlines several ways to create a more eco-friendly packing & shipping system - and why it is important for your business, your customers, and the planet.
BENEFITS
1. Happy (& Returning) Customers
We’ve all seen, or been on the receiving end, of a bad product review around wasteful shipping materials and frustrating packaging. Avoid the backlash & keep your customers coming back by making your deliveries as simple and green as possible.
Case Study: Consumer’s annoyance is so real that Amazon has a “Frustration-Free Packaging Program” designed to “produce less waste and put an end to ‘wrap-rage’. See results here.
2. Competitive Advantage (for now)
Big brands are publishing major new environmental commitments almost daily and Package-free, Bulk, & Zero Waste stores are popping up all over the globe. Improving the “unboxing” experience by shipping more sustainably helps you to stay ahead of the curve and set yourself apart from the competition selling similar goods.
3. Create Brand Value
Showing (and telling) your customers that you are listening to their feedback, are conscious of the changing climate, and have pledged to reduce your environmental impact improves your brand’s image and allows your customers to feel better about where they are spending their money.
4. Save Money
Reducing the amount and size of packaging materials will lower procurement and shipping costs. Who wants to pay to ship air?
5. Environmental Impact
Each year, the US ships 165 billion packages, which equates to 1 BILLION trees worth of cardboard. Add the plastic, styrofoam and other inorganic and non-recyclable shipping materials that will remain in the landfills forever, packaging makes up about one-third of our total trash.
With online sales looking to double in the next decade to around 25% of all retail sales, it is up to each and every business to reduce their impact as much as possible.
HOW TO SWITCH TO SUSTAINABLE SHIPPING MATERIALS
DO! Go Au Naturel
Choose paper-based products over plastics. Yes, sometimes the most sustainable paper alternative is slightly more expensive than its plastic counterpart, however by maximizing carton & shipping efficiencies, (+ increased customers we mentioned above!), you should be able to mitigate the difference. The more demand created for responsible materials, the cheaper they will become. The best paper and cardboard options are:
Made from at least 40% post-consumer recycled materials
Recyclable (not wax or film-coated)
Unbleached
DON’T! Use any virgin, single-use plastic or styrofoam/polystyrene.
That means no more traditional packing peanuts, bubble wrap, individual plastic sleeves, wrappers, or air pillows. (If you must use plastic, go for at least 40% post-consumer recycled content and make sure it is also recyclable!)
Sustainable paper-based recommendations:
Shredded paper & corrugate and Bubble wrap alternative
DO! Research new, bio-based technology
There are plenty of styrofoam replacements like mushroom, seaweed, and hemp.
DON’T! Assume bioplastic is better
While bio-plastics aren’t petroleum-based, there is controversial data around when and in what perfect environment these products actually biodegrade. Since most are still not recyclable and promote the single-use culture, we recommend to use these sparingly unless you are confident in its manufacturing and disposal practices.
Learn more about bioplastics and the controversy around “biodegradable” and “compostable” labels.
A few bioplastic recommendations:
MATERIAL RATING BY IMPACT
We realize that all of these options can be overwhelming. Given the dynamic market, emerging new materials and data, and inconsistent labeling and regulations, we’ve done our best to scale the environmental impact between plastics, papers, and bio-materials below:
DO! More with Less
Invest in additional sizes of (recycled) cardboard shipping boxes so that you use the smallest, most efficient carton size for each order and don’t need to use filler or ship air. Check out FitShipper to help find the best carton size or Lumi for full sustainable packaging engineers.
For smaller items, swap out cardboard cartons all together for paper shipping envelopes. Try returnable, reusable shipping envelopes like these.
Avoid double-boxing & pull double-duty with a shipping box that can hold the product itself.
Re-use shipping supplies you receive from vendors or customer returns.
DON’T Forget the Details!
Swap out plastic tape & stickers for paper versions.
Use a soy-based ink on cartons and labels.
Create miscellaneous wrapping or ties out of organic fabric or paper scraps that would have otherwise gone to waste.
Use or donate old supplies while you transition into more sustainable packaging.
OTHER WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR SHIPPING IMPACT
1. Automate with Software
Use shipping software, like Shipstation, that maximizes efficiencies like identifying and consolidating multiple orders, calculating best carton size, and automating delivery schedules. Compare a list of shipping software here.
2. Encourage efficient deliveries
Expedited shipping increases a purchase’s carbon footprint by 25%.
By actively promoting and incentivizing a slower delivery window, you help save the equivalent CO2 emissions of 200 trees per day.
Implement strategies around increasing the customer's (AOS) average order sizes. The more items in a box, the more efficient the shipping costs.
Ask your carriers whether or not they use smart truck-routing software such as Paragon to help reduce their fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
3. Carbon Offsets
Show your commitment by offsetting your company's carbon emissions through programs like these.
Calculate the carbon footprint of a customer’s purchase at checkout and allow them to offset themselves.
4. Promote sustainability
Encourage your customers to reuse and recycle the packaging they receive by printing inspiring messages on their cartons, receipts, emails, etc.
Offer a collection station in which local customers can drop off their packaging for re-use or proper recycling.
We get it! There’s A LOT of information here. If you have any questions or need any help in getting started, prioritizing, finding vendors, etc, give us a call!