10 Simple Ways to Utilize Eco Friendly Shipping for eCommerce Companies in 2024 to Go Green & Be Sustainable

Biodegradable materials are frequently used to make eco friendly shipping supplies. According to studies, shipping emissions may account for 17% of all global carbon emissions by 2050. Having a well-thought-out shipping process is one of the most crucial components of running a successful online business. However, eCommerce businesses now need to take into account a new aspect of eCommerce shipping. Customers are starting to notice how their products are packaged and transported in light of how quickly the environment is being damaged and they are paying attention to companies who are making their deliveries green. This is where environmentally friendly shipping comes into play.

Our environment can be severely impacted by how you package and ship your goods; if you can find ways to reduce this impact, you might even find that your customers become more devoted to you. This post will outline the value of eco-friendly shipping options in 2024 and how to go about implementing them.

What is Eco Friendly Shipping?

Eco friendly shipping refers to packaging that must be made of biodegradable materials that can be easily recycled, put to other uses, and break down quickly. It can also apply to tactics such as combining orders into a single shipment, adopting low-emission modes of transportation, and other strategies to reduce the environmental impact of shipping items.

Benefits of Using Eco Friendly Shipping

Some online store owners are reluctant to make the following adjustments because they worry that raising costs to make up for more environmentally friendly operations will drive away their current clientele. However, it’s crucial to highlight the statistics supporting it:

• More than two-thirds of consumers with a strong sense of purpose are willing to pay an additional premium of at least 35% when making sustainable purchases for recycled or eco friendly products.
• In addition, 73% of consumers said they would alter their buying patterns to lessen their environmental impact.

Here are a few advantages of using environmentally friendly shipping supplies:

Customers Have a Positive Response to Eco Delivery

Brands that own and actively improve their operations to benefit the earth will succeed as retail patterns become increasingly digital. The trend toward internet buying is being driven by Millennials and Gen Z and the facts supporting it are fascinating:

• 67.1% of millennials said they occasionally or always research a company’s ethics and sustainability policies before making a purchase.
• People take pride in their ability to balance potential environmental implications while purchasing, according to Business Insider.
• People have access to a wealth of information thanks to social media so therefore, it stands to reason that there is a movement to save the environment by choosing to purchase sustainable and environmentally friendly goods as well as goods that will have a positive social impact. Now more than ever, setting an example for a greener future is crucial.

Cost Savings Can Result From Eco Friendly Shipping

Once the changes have been made, eco delivery can help you save money, even though the initial expenditure may force you to reorganize your spending. The philosophy of eco friendly shipping is to only utilize what is necessary and to prevent waste at all costs. As a result, you will avoid paying for extra shipping supplies that you would otherwise need to buy for superfluous packaging.

You Can Get Positive Brand Recognition

You join the ranks of other businesses striving for a greener eCommerce landscape when your online store introduces greener solutions like biodegradable delivery options. You can flaunt your new, environmentally friendly packaging and highlight the ways in which you are reducing your carbon footprint.

Even better, you can highlight your environmental awareness on social media. Due to your efforts to save the environment, you might become the next successful eCommerce brand. However, keep in mind that customers will not hesitate to criticize companies that use sustainability as a marketing gimmick.

8 Ways to Utilize Eco-Friendly Shipping in eCommerce and Be Sustainable

Optimize and Reduce Your Packaging

Making use of sustainable packaging is one technique to improve eco-friendly shipping. Additionally, compare the measurements of the product and the package to get more accurate delivery estimates. Be careful not to overpack items with extra packaging. It is not only economical but also environmentally friendly. Reusable shipping containers are provided by some businesses and they can be returned once the delivery has been completed.

Reduce the size of the box and the materials used for packaging to ensure that your shipments are packed as tightly as possible, as long as this won’t cause damage to your products). This helps you reduce waste while also lowering the dimensions, weight, and overall costs of a shipment. 

You can also check ways for custom packaging for ecommerce.

Use Sustainable Materials

You can make use of eco-friendly packaging from multiple different suppliers. Using materials such as recyclable air pillows rather than bubble wrap and packaging peanuts, which are more damaging to the environment, can help you provide eco delivery. FedEx is another carrier that makes use of green delivery trends. FedEx takes pleasure in using envelopes that include 93% or more recycled material on average. Additionally, the materials for their packages, white boxes, and brown boxes are recycled.

Ship Orders in Bulk

Group and ship tiny items together. Don’t, for instance, sell makeup or little items like toothbrushes in individual pieces. Bulk shipping is less expensive than shipping little items individually. If online retailers need users to buy more things, their sales will increase. Additionally, it increases value for the customer. Customers must plan their purchases or split an order. The result for you is less shipping frequency, lower shipping costs, and potentially higher sales.

Insulate Your Warehouses

One of the greatest energy wasters in the storage process is the fact that warehouse walls are often built of thin metal components with low insulation. Thermal energy is lost during the winter due to ineffective warehouse heating. It is essential to spend money on the thinnest layer of insulation to prevent the need for too many air conditioning units to be installed in the warehouse. Additionally, a good ventilation system with large ceiling fans that evenly distribute warm and fresh air throughout the warehouse reduces the need for heating.

Use Electronic Vehicles for Last-Mile Delivery

It is well known that electronic vehicles have much lower pollution levels than conventional vehicles. Electronic scooters are becoming widely available so if you are really committed to eco friendly delivery, you can switch your last-mile delivery fleet completely to electric vehicles to reduce your carbon footprint.

Use Thermal Printers

Since no ink is used, choosing direct thermal labels is a more environmentally friendly label option and results in one less non-recyclable waste product. If earlier labels lacked an adhesive backing, thermal labels can replace them, saving both time and resources. A popular thermal label printer choice is the Zebra LP2844.

Provide In-Store Pickup

One benefit of in-store pickup is that the consumer has complete control over the time and place of the pickup. Customers can reroute and reschedule their packages to an access point location in conjunction with the delivery personnel. This enables the business to reduce their travel miles and thus, be more environmentally friendly.

Partner With an Eco-Friendly 3PL Company

There are many 3PL fulfillment companies that provide eco-friendly shipping services, which keep online consumer behavior in mind and provide the best sustainable shipping services. Partnering with them will help your company achieve its goals of reducing its environmental impact. While they may charge more than conventional 3PL companies due to the added costs associated with providing eco delivery, it will be worth it.

10 Environment-Friendly Packaging Materials to Help Your Business Go Green in 2024

Compostable Packaging

The term compostable describes a substance’s capacity to break down organically and return to the ground, ideally without leaving any harmful byproducts behind. Bio-poly mailers and plant-based materials (such as corn, sugar cane or bamboo) are typically used to make compostable packaging materials. It is crucial to remember that material must be able to decompose in a home compost within 180 days and in a commercial compost within 90 days in order to be regarded really biodegradable.

Recycled Packaging

Recycled packaging is another option for environmentally friendly packaging materials. These are products that give already-used plastics a second chance at being used. By reducing the need to gather raw materials, employing recycled materials helps you protect the environment and provide eco friendly shipping by reducing the quantity of waste that ends up in landfills.

Corrugated Packaging

Box fibers created primarily from trees and used in corrugated containers are referred to as corrugated packaging. They can be recycled seven to ten times to create new packaging materials. More corrugated packaging than any other type of packaging is also recovered for recycling. Numerous online retailers package and transport their products using corrugated packaging, which is commonly used in the business.

Seaweed Packaging

The gelatinous material agar, which is present in a range of seaweeds and algae, can be utilized as green packaging in a variety of industries, from corn to mushrooms to seaweed. Seaweed can be used as a thickener or as a vegetarian alternative to gelatin in the food business. Seaweed packaging might be the next big thing in eco friendly shipping because it is derived from a plentiful and renewable raw material.

Cellulose Packaging

Hemp, wood, and cotton are examples of natural materials used to make cellulose packaging. The substance is a sustainable replacement for plastic because it decomposes and can be composted. Because cellulose packaging resists moisture, food brands in particular favor it.

Cornstarch Packaging

As you might have guessed, items comprised of cornstarch are referred to as cornstarch packing. It is sustainable and biodegradable due to the fact that it is made from renewable resources and doesn’t include toxic substances. Another wonderful substitute for bubble wrap and styrofoam is biodegradable packing peanuts, which are made from cornstarch.

Recyclable Air Pillows

Another excellent budget and eco friendly shipping package substitute for bubble wrap or styrofoam is inflatable air cushions. They come in a range of sizes and are perfect for padding packaged objects or filling gaps in boxes. Small bags that can be inflated, or “air pillows,” are mostly made of air. Compared to alternative cushioning materials, this reduces the amount of plastic consumed in their manufacture and transportation. They are recyclable, reusable, and even biodegradable. Ensure you get air pillows that highlight biodegradability and are created entirely from recycled materials.

Kraft Paper

Wood pulp is used to make kraft paper. All varieties of wood, including resinous pine, are used to make kraft materials, unlike normal paper, which typically excludes this type of wood. Since almost all of the chemicals needed to create kraft paper can be utilized again, the production process is more environmentally friendly.

Green Cell Foam

A bio-based foam product created from cultivated corn cultivated is called green cell foam. You can get rid of it by putting it in water or by composting the substance at home or in commercial settings. As its name clearly says, green cell foam behaves very similarly to foam, making it the perfect choice for companies that need to transport their products with padding.

Organic Fabrics

You’ll discover that there are many different types of organic fabrics available on the market, such as hemp, organic or recycled cotton, tapioca, palm leaves and many others. All of these materials are biodegradable and require only about 100 days to break down as opposed to a plastic bag’s 10,000 years. These materials can be used for a wide range of other things besides bags, such as apparel.

Conclusion

To provide eco friendly shipping, every effort counts. Investing in the sustainability of your company now will benefit both the health of the environment and the future of your brand. To continue running a successful business while also taking care of the environment, keep in mind the advice provided above. If you assistance with eCommerce fulfillment, you can consider partnering with WareIQ.

WareIQ is a leading eCommerce fulfillment company that provides multiple eco-friendly shipping facilities such as ultra-fast delivery, a nationwide network of fulfillment centers so that you can store products closer to customers, your choice of packaging materials and much more.

Suggested Read: eCommerce Shipping Trends for Year 2024

Eco Friendly Shipping: FAQs

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