6 Ways to Make Your eCommerce More Sustainable

Going green can be difficult for eCommerce businesses. It’s complicated to organize a more eco-friendly way to pack, deliver, or return products. That being said, however, it’s a great way to make a good impression on your target market. Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about their carbon footprint. By making your eCommerce as sustainable as possible, your products will become the more attractive option to potential customers.   

Due to the popularity of eco-friendly brands, you’re also more likely to convince investors. You’ll be able to improve your brand image and bring your business into the 21st century. The green market is on the rise and you’ll be making a name for yourself for the future. Here are six ways to make your eCommerce more sustainable. 

Sustainable packaging

The most convenient way to make your eCommerce more eco-friendly is with sustainable packaging. Companies such as Plaspack.com provide services to help you with this. You’ll be able to reduce your non-biodegradable waste significantly and this will make your business more attractive to eco-conscious customers and investors. 

Environmentally-friendly packaging is typically made from recycled or biodegradable materials. It’s also safer for humans and the planet. Reducing your packaging materials is also key, this will not only save you money but be better for the environment. 

Sustainable shipping

Another way to make your eCommerce more sustainable is with green shipping. This is a slightly more difficult problem to solve, as you want to be able to deliver as many packages as possible and offer a fast and efficient service. 

The way eco-friendly eCommerce brands tackle this problem is liaising with “green shippers”. These companies use transportation that has low carbon emissions including DHL, UPS, and USPS. You can also schedule your goods to be collected at a location near the customer instead of delivering them. This is often a perfectly convenient option for customers. At the checkout on your site, you could put the most sustainable option for shipping at the top of the list, persuading customers to go for this rather than pay for fast home delivery.

Smaller packages

Make your packages as small and compact as possible. You don’t need to waste a huge box and excessive packaging materials for smaller, not so delicate items such as clothing and household products. 

With smaller packages, you can also fit more of them into your transportation to reduce the need for shipping vehicles. Larger packages are unpopular anyway, so they’re best avoided. Smaller parcels can fit through doors or in mailboxes and are less cumbersome to hide in a safe place if the recipient isn’t at home at the time of delivery. 

Reuse materials

There are now several ethical eCommerce brands that have stated that they reuse materials. Whether this is realistic for your business or not, it’s a good idea to market your company as sustainable by showing how you at least recycle packaging or other tools for shipping. 

You could create an incentive for your customers to recycle packaging or used products by providing a voucher as a reward. If reusing materials isn’t really viable, at least you will be advertising your brand as encouraging recycling for a good cause. 

Decrease returns

One way green eCommerce businesses have tackled the problem of sustainability is by using advanced technology to minimize returns. In fact, augmented reality in eCommerce plays a huge role. The technology can be used to display products such as furniture in a room in your home. This gives the customer a better idea of what they’re buying.

With marketing analytics software, you can also analyze the habits of your target audience, making it more likely drive more sales, and have a satisfied customer. By improving your marketing strategies, you’ll be more able to decrease returns and your carbon footprint at the same time.

Carbon offset

The theory of carbon offset essentially means reducing carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases in one area in order to compensate for emissions caused somewhere else. This is a way many green businesses go about reducing their carbon footprint. It can be difficult to put into practice, however. Some businesses avoid flying as much as possible and hold meetings by video conferencing or encourage train travel.

The good news is, that small changes can make a big difference, especially for your green marketing. You could even become affiliated with a non-profit or humanitarian cause. Be sure to make it public or part of your branding any time you make a change towards a greener future.