{"id":1321,"date":"2021-04-21T20:11:15","date_gmt":"2021-04-21T20:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/eco-friendly-shipping\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T21:41:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T21:41:05","slug":"eco-friendly-shipping","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/eco-friendly-shipping\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Shipping 101: 9 Best Practices For Eco-Friendly Shipping"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/p>

** Minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

What is eco-friendly shipping?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global impact of shipping on the environment<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

9 green shipping best practices for ecommerce<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of implementing eco-friendly shipping supplies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How partnering with ShipBob enables green shipping options<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eco-friendly shipping FAQs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Online shopping has boomed in the pandemic, and the ability to have packages delivered right to a customer\u2019s doorstep has become more popular than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the increase of online shopping, it has some people asking, \u201cBut what about the impact packaging and transportation has on the environment?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As online shopping continues to become an essential part of our daily lives, it\u2019s critical to consider the waste it brings with it. Additionally, it\u2019s equally important to recognise the movement towards a more sustainable online retail experience, and it should be top of mind for all ecommerce brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a business, you may have wondered, \u201cWhat can I do to offset my business\u2019s carbon footprint?\u201d Below we share how eco-friendly shipping can help this cause and some of the ways brands are offsetting their carbon footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is eco-friendly shipping?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eco-friendly shipping includes the use of biodegradable material that can easily be recycled, used for other purposes, and don\u2019t take as long to decompose for packaging and shipping products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can also refer to consolidating orders into single shipments, using low carbon-emitting methods of transportation, and other ways of minimising the impact delivering packages has on the environment. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global impact of shipping on the environment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n


<\/a>The convenience, speed, and ubiquity are what make online shopping and 2-day shipping so appealing. However, the unfortunate reality is that there is a dark side to ecommerce. The negative impact on the planet will only increase as ecommerce sales double<\/a> over the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global impact of shipping on the environment is eye-opening. A recent study<\/a> shows that Amazon emits nearly as much carbon dioxide as a small country, and almost a third of the solid waste in America comes from ecommerce packaging. And that\u2019s not all:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

165 billion packages = 1 billion trees<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On average, there are about 165 billion packages shipped in the United States each year. The cardboard used for these packages roughly equates to 1 billion trees. That statistic doesn\u2019t factor in the other types of packaging, like plastic, which is even less eco-friendly than cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black carbon emissions total 21%<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Black carbon, or soot, is part of fine particulate air pollution that contributes to climate change. Black carbon is one of many particles and gases emitted when diesel, coal, and other biomass fuels are burned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black carbon is produced by ships that burn heavy fuel oil and is one of the biggest drivers of the negative impact of shipping globally. Efforts to reduce black carbon emissions will bring immediate benefits for human health and the climate since black carbon does not last long in the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7,500,000 extra plastic bags<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the ecommerce world, some companies are using bubble mailers and plastic bags because they are lighter and allow for more packages to fit on trucks and planes. Ultimately, this saves them operative and packaging costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Adept Packaging<\/a>, ecommerce sales resulted in 7,500,000 extra plastic bags. It can take plastics anywhere from 20 to 500 years<\/a> to decompose under the right circumstances, depending on the structure and material. It\u2019s possible that plastics used in packages in 2021 could still be on Earth in 2521.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why it is crucial for ecommerce brands and logistics companies to rethink the materials and packaging they use to ship their products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast delivery is a significant contributor to climate change<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fast delivery without leaving home is arguably the biggest appeal of the ecommerce industry, and it also gives brands a competitive advantage if they offer 2-day or less shipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the scenes of fast shipping are the harmful effects it has on the environment. Last-mile delivery<\/a>, close behind freight movement, is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To offset this, encourage your customers to take control of their deliveries<\/a> by making sure they are home during delivery windows, utilise tools from couriers like UPS to have more visibility, and even designate pickup spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increasing ecommerce return rates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Returns have notoriously been a headache for both the merchant and consumer. Returns platforms have filled the gap by offering a robust exchange and return experience for customers, ultimately bettering the overall customer experience. While it\u2019s become the norm to provide a convenient return experience<\/a> for the shopper, it negatively impacts the environment by increasing transportation and materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9 green shipping best practices for ecommerce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Taking a stance on sustainability and changing the business model of your ecommerce company is no longer an option for reaching the modern customer. In fact, according to a recent survey<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n