What you can do about your ecommerce emissions

Climate change is a thing.

And it’s a problem.

Transportation is the biggest source of gas emissions? At about 24% of the US total emissions, shipping and logistics are huge contributors.

Scary, isn’t it?

No one wants to contribute to that. But thankfully, there are some things you can do to reduce your emissions

·         Choose the right size box. Ship your package in a box that fits your product. This reduces truck space and weight and, therefore, your share of the truck’s emissions.

·         Avoid air-mail carriers. Planes emit much more carbon per mile than standard ground delivery networks. Avoid air transit, if possible.

·         Don’t fall into offset traps. At best, carbon offsets are dubious sources of carbon reduction. At worst, they do more harm than good. Don’t focus on carbon neutrality, focus on carbon reduction.

·         Use recycled material. Opt for recycled boxes/paper over virgin cardboard. Virgin cardboard creation is a more carbon intensive process. Opting for recycled materials instead will reduce your carbon footprint.

If you’re not sold that recycled is better than virgin cardboard, check this out. When creating recycled cardboard as opposed to virgin:

·         52% less energy is used.

·         74% less greenhouse gas emissions are released.

·         33% less water is used.

We all need to do our part for a better future. Simple changes, like choosing the right packaging materials and keeping your packages on the ground, will help. While your customers, your planet, and your future generations may never thank you for your efforts, you can rest easy knowing you did your part.