Eco-friendly initiatives were once considered quite unconventional in the business world. Some time back going green was something that only forward-thinking organizations would promote. Today, on the other hand, sustainable practices are not optional. Rather they have eventually become the standard. Several organizations are advocating more collaborative, environmentally friendly efforts to sustain the earth.
Because everyone only has one livable planet, all must do their individual efforts, to help preserve the environment. To that end, the best thing for you, as an e-commerce company, is to use eco-friendly practices and go for sustainable packaging.
Your business centers around selling merchandise, to consumers. So, you're probably using a variety of materials while packing and shipping products. This blog covers what sustainable packaging is and what are its advantages. Keep reading……!
What Is Sustainable Packaging?
To say in short, sustainable packaging is earth-friendly and makes no contribution to the additional depletion of natural resources. These are the 8 criteria for packaging, to be considered sustainable package solutions:
- It benefits mankind and is safe, and healthy for individuals and communities all through its lifecycle.
- Fulfills the market criteria regarding performance and costs.
- Sourced, manufactured, delivered, and recycled using renewable energy.
- Maximizes the usage of renewable or recycled source materials.
- Is made following clean manufacturing technologies and best practices.
- Is made using healthy materials throughout the life cycle.
- Is designed to optimize materials and energy.
- Is recovered and used effectively in biological and/or industrial closed-loop cycles.
Now that you know about sustainable packaging solutions and the various criteria that go with them, you should also know what exactly can you get out of eco-friendly packaging.
The following are the advantages of sustainable package solutions:
Increase Consumer Base
Being more sustainable means acquiring more customers while also increasing loyalty. According to many researchers, consumers are increasingly considering sustainability when choosing which brands to do business with.
According to a survey by CGS out of 1,000 US consumers, nearly 70% said sustainability was “somewhat important,” and nearly half (47%) said they will happily pay 25% extra for sustainable items.
Consolidated Storage
Reducing packaging materials and decreasing waste are the foremost elements of sustainable packaging. And, when properly implemented, they result in more efficient storage, allowing you to reduce the amount of space needed to store your products. In this way, cutting storage costs or freeing additional space to store more merchandise.
Lower Shipping Costs
It is a fact that shipping smaller packages is the ideal way to practice sustainability. An added benefit to this is lowering your shipping costs.
For example, sending out a 12 x12x12 box that weighs 1 lb from New York to Los Angeles, costs $23.65 through UPS Ground. However, if you are able to put your product into a smaller 10x10x10 box, you end up decreasing your rate to $17.72. That means a saving of $5.93 per package, which may add up quickly!
The Final Thoughts
Going for sustainable packaging solutions is the way forward for most e-commerce companies today. So, it is advisable not to miss the chance to go green by adding sustainable packaging to your delivery process.
