For a long time, price, quality and delivery time were the main factors influencing your purchasing decision. Nowadays, social and environmental aspects also play a role. Purchasing becomes socially responsible purchasing (SRI). In this way, entrepreneurs and companies have a positive influence on issues such as working conditions and the environment.
Sustainable packaging is a way for a company to take social responsibility and reduce its impact on the environment, such as by reducing its carbon footprint.
In the past, a product could not be packed well enough. With the growth of e-commerce, the demand for shipping is also increasing and so is waste.
Sustainable packaging ensures that you proactively respond to (European) regulations regarding ‘waste’ and ‘sustainability’. The search for a shipping method that strikes a balance between underpackaging (the product arrives damaged) and overpackaging (too much waste is created) is now more important than ever. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
In addition to reductions in packaging materials, social goals are now being set for the first time for reducing packaging density and the total volume of shipping packaging. Together with online stores and suppliers, industry organization Thuiswinkel.org has set the goal of reducing the “air” in packages by 10 percent
by 2022.
Packing more efficiently has a positive effect on your carbon footprint: you reduce your total number of shipping packages, which means you need less packaging material, less shipping space, and therefore less cost in transportation and materials. A positive effect on both the environment and your own budget.
With rising volumes, problems in the logistics labor market are becoming more urgent. As a result, shipping prices and margins are also coming under pressure. Many companies are struggling with this issue to come up with a constructive, sustainable, future-proof solution.
New personnel are not always readily available and must be trained. The solution must be found in a new way of order picking, packing and shipping. An automated system that looks along smartly to make your company take a new step in sustainability is indispensable.
The “sustainable packaging manual for the e-commerce sector” mentions StackAssist as a smart stacking application as a solution to this issue. This smart software calculates how to stack multiple products in a package as efficiently as possible without using too much air or padding material. This is done after the order is placed, allowing the order picker to pick directly into the correct box. As a result, the purchase reduction of packaging material can be as much as 10-15% and as much as 15-25% for padding material. The data you build up in this way can be used to make a better selection in your packaging assortment.
Corporate social responsibility starts with yourself. By looking meaningfully at the total cost of getting your product to the customer, you can positively impact your carbon footprint and thus sustainability within your company.
In addition, as mentioned, StackAssist reduces packaging materials, shipping costs and personnel costs, among other things. At the same time, you take responsibility in terms of sustainability. Want to know more about StackAssist?
Contact us to see how we too can help your company move forward in sustainable packaging. Fill out the form below or email or call us directly.
