Ecommerce customers are becoming increasingly sustainability-conscious, which means there is a growing demand for sustainable ecommerce brands. Therefore, brands should take the steps to reduce your brand’s carbon footprint now to stay ahead of the competition
There is a distinctive shift happening in consumer trends and many people are willing to pay extra for environmentally-friendly products. These consumers are also much more likely to support brands that have green ecommerce shipping initiatives. But this shift means that your brand needs green solutions that you can rely on. By focusing on reducing your carbon footprint, your ecommerce brand will improve its reputation, increase customer loyalty all while making a positive impact on the earth.
If you’re ready to start reducing your carbon footprint and becoming an environmentally-friendly ecommerce brand, these seven ideas will help you make the necessary changes:
1) Implement Carbon-Friendly Shipping Solutions
The simplest way to go green when it comes to parcel shipping is to partner with a carrier that ships parcels directly. Shipping carriers that need multiple connecting flights in order to route packages aren’t eco-friendly at all. Sure, you could purchase carbon offsets or try to reduce your carbon emissions but what you really need is a sustainable long-term solution. Choosing a green shipping partner like X DeliveryTM will ensure that your ecommerce brand operates in a way that is good for the planet.
X Delivery makes use of shipping technology, specifically a shipping API, which is designed to streamline the process and increase your ecommerce sales. Our parcel shipping software allows us to offer you a green shipping solution that is good for the planet, your business, and your customers by providing the following services:
- Parcels are shipped directly only via non-stop flights to reduce middle air emissions by up to 70%.
- We fill up the unused luggage space of commercial airlines and leverage the best final-mile partners.
- Our point-to-point logistics model means that there are fewer steps in the process, reducing fuel usage and increasing customer satisfaction.
By partnering with X Delivery, you automatically implement a carbon-friendly shipping solution that still keeps the happiness of your customers in mind.
2) Make Use of a Point-to-Point Shipping Model
A point-to-point logistics model is the way to go if you want to make shipping more sustainable. Most national shipping carriers are set in an outdated business model, which requires them to make use of the same distribution centers they’ve used for decades.
These centers are used to sort and reroute packages in between the first and second flights. This may have made sense in the past but with the ecommerce boom, more efficient (and sustainable) methods need to be implemented. Instead of adding this extra step, X Delivery flies packages directly from the supplier warehouse location to the final destination. Fewer steps mean less fuel and more satisfied customers.
3) Incorporate Sustainable Packaging Practices
Even though most retailers use standard box sizes to ship all types of items, this can be incredibly wasteful as the free space is then filled with extra packaging material. You may want to consider making use of different-sized boxes in order to avoid using all that additional packaging material. Not only will this save on volume space for shipping but it’s much more environmentally conscious.
Alternatively, opt to optimize your packaging even further by using poly mailers. Poly mailers are lightweight yet durable bags designed to ship all sorts of products safely. They don’t add much extra weight to parcels, thus reducing your shipping costs. Plus, most have bubble wrap interiors for extra protection so no packaging materials are needed.
4) Minimize Customer Returns
Order returns cost ecommerce brands billions of dollars each year but even more shocking is the cost to the planet. Returns result in approximately 2 million tonnes of landfill waste and 15 million tonnes of CO2e each year.
Unfortunately, many consumers purposefully order more items knowing they’ll return the unwanted. You can prevent this by not offering free returns as this will make your customers rethink this practice. Additionally, you could write more detailed product descriptions and add multiple high-quality images or videos to set realistic expectations. Finally, make sure to add detailed sizing guides if you sell apparel.
5) Offer or Purchase Carbon Offsets for Shipping
No matter what you do to be sustainable, your business is still likely to have a carbon footprint. You can fix this by compensating those emissions that just can’t be avoided through carbon offsetting. Do this by financially supporting high-impact climate projects that work to reduce carbon emissions.
Some examples are non-profits that are protecting the rainforest or companies on a mission to scale renewable energy worldwide. If you decide to make carbon offsets part of your strategy to reduce your carbon footprint, make sure that you only support reputable projects that are certified.
6) Eliminate Single-Use Plastics
Another way that your ecommerce brand can be more environmentally-friendly is by eliminating single-use plastics and any non-disposable materials. Whenever possible, opt for recycled paper and packaging material for shipping.
There are plenty of great options for ecommerce brands that want to reduce waste. Many companies are now providing retailers with recycled plastic for packaging and recycled cardboard boxes for shipping. Focus on reducing the materials needed for your orders and parcels and using eco-friendly alternatives.
7) Reduce Energy Waste
Shipping and packaging are not the only aspects you can focus on if you wish to reduce your carbon footprint overall. You could even look at other operations of your business such as electricity usage in your office and warehouses. An option here is to switch to a renewable energy provider. Using low-energy light bulbs, reducing the temperature in offices, and switching off electronics when not in use are all other ideas for reducing your brand’s energy waste. These small shifts in behavior are enough to make a big impact on your carbon emissions.
Go Green with X Delivery
Your brand could help to revolutionize the ecommerce industry if you choose to reimagine delivery and go green with X Delivery. If you’re ready to implement a more sustainable shipping practice start shipping with X Delivery now.