Introduction
It is no surprise that more consumers choose to shop online – it is fast, easy and accessible to all. Not to mention that you can do it from the comfort of your own home and have the items sent to your door the very next day. Unfortunately, the convenience of online shopping is coming at a high price to the environment.
Climate change and sustainability are unavoidable topics, leading to retailers and consumers becoming increasingly aware of the need to protect the environment. As a result, many online brands are attempting to lead the way by producing products made from recycled materials and using greener shipping methods.
However, there is no getting away from these greener products being more expensive than their less sustainable counterparts – the materials used tend to be of higher quality, and the employees are paid a fairer wage. Sadly, for some customers, these higher price points are unaffordable.
Here are some ways an e-commerce store can improve its sustainability practices without pushing away a whole customer base due to price hikes.
Double Check Your Supply Chain
You must understand where and how your products are being produced – without this information, there is no way of knowing the environmental impact. By conducting a thorough audit, you will be able to determine the following:
- How sustainable your good are (including all their components)
- The distance they have had to travel for the components to be produced
- Any other environmental impacts they may have (like special packaging)
Once you have completed the audit, you can identify ways to improve your responsibility to source from ethical providers. Ask your suppliers questions and do your best to only work with those that share your values to protect the planet. If you need some support with finding ethical green product suppliers, look at working with an Amazon agency https://nuoptima.com for that much-needed guidance. They will likely spare you a lot of time, improve your green credentials, and help boost your sales while they are at it.
Review Your Packaging Practices
No one likes an oversized package – it causes customer frustration and is not eco-friendly. One of the simplest ways to make your e-commerce store greener is by using environmentally friendly materials for your packaging. Use less packaging and what you do need to use, make sure it is fully recyclable.
What’s more, you can take it one step further and ditch paper invoices – it will save on the quantity of paper and ink you use. Again, this will help the environment and save you some money, which can be reinvested to make your business even greener.
Use a Green Shipping Method
Unless you are walking or cycling to your customer locally, it is unlikely that you will be able to offset all the impacts of shipping. However, you can help by working with a courier that offers carbon-neutral or reduced carbon shipping.
There are plenty of couriers out there that offer environmentally friendly delivery practices, from well-known providers like DHL, UPS, FedEx and even good old Royal Mail. However, be aware that although consumers are interested in CO2-neutral delivery, they are not willing to pay much extra for it.
Rethink Your Return Policy
You may think offering returns reflect a high standard of service when it actually has a considerable impact on the environment. Returns are essentially doubling the item’s carbon emissions, so you should make sure your product descriptions and processes are all clear and up to date.
Also, ask your customer to consider the environmental implications before sending items back. You can add a section to your FAQs to help educate your customers on how to best return items in a sustainable way.
Closing Thoughts
The reality is that you need to work towards being more environmentally friendly while remaining profitable. No matter what you do, be very cautious not to greenwash. Be transparent and disclose your sustainability plans instead of making false claims and misleading your customers.
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