Consumer demand makes carbon neutral shipping a no-brainer

Carbon-neutral deliveries shouldn’t just be an aspiration for e-commerce retailers – they’re a necessity. Consumers increasingly expect accountability from retailers on their sustainability efforts, whether through greater transparency around supply chain emissions, or lower carbon shipping options.

The environmental impact of shipping is well known, and the transportation industry’s reliance on fossil fuels means carbon emissions can hardly be eliminated from the supply chain overnight. However, by engaging with partners and thoroughly evaluating the supply chain, e-commerce companies can take impactful steps toward cutting their carbon footprints.

At Asendia, we’re proud to have reached 100% carbon neutrality through our carbon offsetting projects. By offsetting all shipments carried out on behalf of retailers, we’re putting both ethics and our consumers’ expectations first.

Changing attitudes 

There’s growing evidence that the more informed consumers are about the environmental impact of their deliveries, the more open they’ll be to picking a lower-impact shipping option.

55% of survey respondents would accept slower international delivery times if it were via a lower-carbon shipping alternative, according to a survey of Taobao website users, and research by the International Post Corporation says 44% of online shoppers have made their purchasing behavior more sustainable.

Most tellingly, 91% of consumers surveyed by Sifted want an ‘eco-friendly’ delivery option at checkout.

It shows that e-commerce organisations who commit to more sustainable delivery methods are not only meeting their climate goals, but also adapting to consumer demands and improving their brand reputation.

In other words, going green is socially responsible AND economically rational.

The long game

There’s no silver bullet though. Real, sustainable change will only be possible with a long-term approach to cutting carbon emissions.

To shrink their carbon footprint and provide total transparency to consumers, it’s imperative that e-commerce businesses have complete awareness of what’s going on in the supply chain.

Knowing the carbon emissions of a parcel from warehouse to destination isn’t an easy ask, but at Asendia we’re trying to help our retail partners find the answer. By developing tools that track factors like a shipment’s weight, distance traveled and modes of transport used, we hope to make it possible for every customer to discover the carbon measurement of their delivery.

And more innovations are emerging all the time to help cut the carbon impact of parcels. Eco-packaging, the growth of electric vehicles and AI-driven solutions are just some of the ways that it’s becoming easier to cut carbon emissions in the supply chain.

But the rising expectations of e-commerce customers aren’t the only reason carbon neutral shipping is becoming a necessity. Legislation enforcing carbon transparency is on the horizon. Retailers not currently ascertaining ways to give their customers the full picture on their delivery’s environmental impact may find that they suddenly have to scramble for solutions.

Strategically minded businesses, on the other hand, will be way ahead.

Read a full article by Barbara Schielke, Chief HR & CSR Officer for Asendia, below: