Sustainability in e-commerce – new ways and solutions

Sustainability in e-commerce – new ways and solutions

As part of the e-commerce industry, Packhelp is, of course, also part of the environmental problems brought about by online retail. Still, most importantly, we hope to become part of the solution by helping our customers switch to sustainable packaging.

In this article, we want to outline the sustainable development of e-commerce and recommend our e-book on the same topic. 

At first glance, the sustainability of e-commerce seems paradoxical.

Because if the business model, online commerce, means that individual orders are packaged, shipped around the world, and then delivered to customers’ doorsteps, then the prerequisites for sustainability are initially poor. Especially when you consider events like Black Friday, it will add fuel to the fire and return a large number of packages. Compared with traditional retail, e-commerce logistics costs and packaging material consumption are significantly higher. But since COVID19, the general trend of online commerce is not only unstoppable. The field of e-commerce is developing rapidly.

In Europe alone, the market has tripled since 2017. Industry solutions are close to, and the faster the market grows, the greater the burden on the environment and the greater the number of critics in the e-commerce industry. This means that solutions must be found. Fortunately, multiple industry approaches can already be seen in terms of transparency and the use of sustainable materials.

Packaging materials are certainly an important part of e-commerce, and many brands are increasingly relying on sustainable solutions. For example, online giant Amazon has removed 1.6 billion shipping boxes from its supply chain and put them away since 2015. In the United States alone, 44,444,165 billion parcels are shipped each year. 44,444,165 billion is the number of parcels shipped annually in the United States, which is unimaginable. 

The U.S. alone is converted into materials, and together there are 1 billion trees used for production and logistics. Transportation alone accounts for nearly a quarter of global carbon dioxide emissions. One-third of it is due to road freight, and the last mile (to the final customer’s distribution centre) is a large part of it. So, where is the best place to start changing something? The sustainability of e-commerce is such an important topic that you may not even know where to start to change.

But the most important thing is that you keep going. The road to the sustainable development of e-commerce is a long process, with no beginning or end. This is a way of life, a state of mind, and a culture that you have to build.

This culture or attitude should cover all aspects of your business, from packaging and transportation to your actual business model. It will definitely be difficult at the beginning, and the cost will increase at the beginning, but it will be worthwhile in the long run. 

For example, it is now embracing sustainable development, which can significantly improve your image and provide you with a huge marketing advantage in the competition. 

You can help them attract long-term partners, employees and investors. And it is very likely that your results will improve soon. An analysis by Standard & Poor’s Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) found that companies that support and communicate climate change have an 18% higher return on investment.

Read our blog on Sustainability in the company – in 4 steps to the green corporate strategy