Eco-Friendly Shipping Options Your Business Should Try

It’s no secret that the shipping industry is experiencing a serious period of growth due to the increasing demands in online sales. As more consumers rely on having their purchases shipped directly to their door, there is a growing concern about its impact on the environment. One study predicts that shipping emissions will account for 17% of all emissions by 2050. At the same time, there is a growing movement for businesses to look for more eco-friendly shipping options, lessening their carbon footprint on the environment. Most companies are aware of this concern and actively look for ways to go green and offer eco-packaging options.

Types of Eco-Friendly Shipping Options

Take a look at these six eco-friendly shipping options that may help your business with “go green” initiatives.

Encourage customers to go green at checkout.

Customers often order multiple products at one time. Depending on the existing stock or where the products ship from, this can result in various packages being sent for one order. Encourage customers to wait until all products are ready to fulfill their request for the shipment to be released. By offering this go green option and making it the customers’ choice, they’ll feel good about doing the environmentally correct thing, even if it means waiting an extra day for their order. It may also be beneficial to offer discounted shipping, free shipping, or a coupon good for their next order when they choose this option.

Use biodegradable packaging options.

In the past, it was normal for companies to use Styrofoam in their packaging. Unfortunately, Styrofoam is not only bad for landfills, as it can take upwards of one hundred years to decompose, but it also accounts for an enormous amount of waste from manufacturing. Instead of relying on traditional packaging options, opt for biodegradable ones.

Buy packaging made from recycled materials.

Reusing old materials is a great way to lessen your environmental impact. In addition to biodegradable options, there are many options made from recycled materials that can help cut down on pollution caused by paper factories.

Contract vendors that are also eco-friendly.

Many businesses hire a same-day courier service to assist with local deliveries. Working with a local company is a go green option because they use smaller trucks and vans for deliveries than national delivery services. These smaller delivery vehicles are easier on the environment because they produce fewer emissions. It is also essential to look for vendors that believe in being eco-friendly.

Use the right size box.

Many businesses look to save money by only stocking certain box sizes. If you offer smaller items, it makes sense to have shipping boxes that match the smaller items. Otherwise, businesses ship products in much larger boxes than necessary, forcing them to use additional packaging materials. Having the right size boxes on hand will cut down on wasted materials and trash in landfills.

Group shipments together.

Create a system to group shipments going to the same area together. For local deliveries, using a same-day courier service can help businesses ship local orders at one time. If your business ships nationally or outside of the local area, look for a shipping company that offers rush trucking or pallet delivery services. A rush trucking option won’t require you to fill an entire tractor-trailer, resulting in faster deliveries and fewer emissions.

Econo-Courier offers same-day courier service and rush trucking options to businesses. Learn more by contacting our office today!