People care about the environmental impact of their purchases more than ever before, and this goes beyond the products themselves. The fulfilment industry can leave a big impact on the planet; from plastic mountains of packaging to delivery trucks spewing out emissions. In today’s eco-conscious world, your customers want to know what you're doing to lighten that impact. If you’re looking to boost your business’s green credentials, revamping your fulfilment process is a fantastic first step - but where do you start? Not to worry, the experts at I-Fulfilment are here to help! Our sustainable fulfilment guide highlights four ways to make your processes more earth friendly, from packaging and delivery, to getting your customers involved.
Around 141 million tonnes of plastic packaging are produced across the world every year - that’s about 36% of all plastics produced overall. You can play your part in combating this by swapping out your current packaging with organic, recyclable, or compostable materials. If your products need cushioning, opt for paper or bio-based alternatives whenever possible. At I-Fulfilment, you can fully customise your brand with a wide variety of organic options and recyclable packaging and labelling choices. By switching over, you can ditch the plastic waste and delight your customers with packages that are as good for the planet as they are for them.
Streamlining your operations doesn’t just save money and get your products out the door on time - it cuts down on wasted energy and materials, which means less pollution and a smaller carbon footprint. One of the best ways to achieve this is with smart inventory management software. For example, gain complete control in real-time, over your orders, inventory and shipments by utilising our BladePRO software, giving your granular visibility in one centralised system, from anywhere, on any device. This makes it easy to fully optimise your operations, maximise your efficiencies and reduce your eco-impact along the way.
Optimising courier routes can dramatically reduce your business's environmental impact. By cutting out unnecessary miles, you'll use less fuel and shrink your carbon footprint (and save money on delivery, too!). BladePRO helps by selecting the most efficient and cost-effective delivery routes across our global network of top carriers like Royal Mail, DPD, DHL, FedEx, and UPS. This means fewer miles driven, less fuel used, and a lighter carbon footprint for your business – whilst offering your customers a wide range of reliable shipping options.
Your customers have a role to play, too! If your ecommerce platform allows, you can offer them options to reduce waste at checkout, like opting out of unnecessary packaging, bundling products together, or choosing more carbon-conscious shipping methods. You can also make things easy for them by clearly labelling your packaging for recycling or composting (something we’re able to facilitate for you with our packing services).