Earlier this month we offered you 5 tips to reduce the environmental impact of your Shopify fulfillment. Now we have a second edition focused specifically on your packaging.
This Earth Month, take a moment to see if you can reduce your carbon footprint with some of these five order fulfillment tips!
The most important step you can take is to use perfect-fit packaging. Oversized packages and mailers take up more space on carbon-emitting trucks and trains and cost you more in shipping. If that isn’t enough, oversized packages also cost you and the planet more in package void fillers such as plastic bubbles or pillows, packing paper, and foam peanuts.
The packaging that you choose can make a big difference. Materials such as boxes and cardboard mailers are recyclable but many companies understandably avoid using them in their eCommerce fulfillment because they add weight and thus postage costs. Another option is a biodegradable poly mailer. While some of these still wind up in landfills, they are a step forward over traditional packaging.
When possible, select packaging that is reusable such as poly mailers with two strips of closure tape or boxes. You may even encourage your customers to reuse packaging with a note on the packing slip or an imprint on the package itself.
Another place to make an impact is with your packing slip. You can print your packing slip on recycled paper and include return instructions or other messages on the same page to avoid extra paper waste.
Finally, consider simplifying your packaging. Extras have an impact and if you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint, minimizing the extras is a great option. However, we understand that you want to add your personal touch so we have come up with several ideas for green personalized packaging. You can find these tips on our Instagram and Facebook page by searching the hashtag #gogreenwithkey.
Shakespeare said it well when he said, “The Earth has music for those who listen.” This time of year, as the songbirds serenade us and the winds of spring rush through the leaves, we can all take a moment to consider if there are easy steps we can take in our eCommerce fulfillment process.
Want to do more? We are posting lots of ideas to go green on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #gogreenwithkey.
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