Sustainability is the word that is on everyone’s lips. Millennials are investing in companies that are promoting environmentally friendly packing box strategies. If you are the owner of an e-commerce business, then it may be worth your while to invest in packing boxes that are recycled and recyclable. Here is our top tip for sustainable business in 2017.
Packing Boxes with a Past
Zara is one brand that is leading the way in environmentally friendly retail. Their packing boxes are made of 100% recycled cardboard. On their website, they say that they can “avoid the felling of some 21.840 trees and reduce (their) CO2 emissions by 1.680 tons a year.”
All of the cardboard which is sourced by Zara carries the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification, this is an international PEFC standard that promotes sustainable practices in forests across the world.
The brand is serious about its sustainable movement and the cardboard boxes that are used to deliver parcels across the UK and worldwide arrive in their stores 5 times before they are recycled. These boxes go through suppliers, distribution centres, and central warehouses before they finally reach the stores.
Boxes Made with Boxes
The brand continues to use these cardboard boxes while they are still in good condition. Zara’s staff make the most of the boxes, using them for transporting clothes and storing materials. Once the box has reached the end of its life and it can no longer be reused, Zara then recycles them and transforms them into new cardboard.
The brand started to make special online delivery boxes which are made from the stores recycled cardboard and the initiative so far has been extremely successful as 56% of Zara’s online orders are delivered in these special boxes. The brand has even started using the slogan “our boxes are made of boxes with a past…help us to recycle and give a new life to each box.”
Packing Boxes UK
It is not just the retail sector which is taking responsibility as suppliers are too. Big Brown Box, a packing boxes UK supplier, take their commitment to the environment very seriously.
Every box which they create is made with 100% biodegradable corrugated cardboard which is sourced locally. The brand sources this cardboard from a local supplier as it reduces their carbon footprint, keeping it to an absolute minimum.
The brand says this does not affect the quality of the boxes and say that their “cardboard moving boxes are so well made they can be reused many times, so you can do your bit for the environment too.”
If you are looking for packing boxes which will offer your customers goods the best support, your best option is to choose a double-walled corrugated cardboard box that is made from biodegradable material.
Choosing Sustainability
If you are still unconvinced by this trend, let’s look at the figures. Market research which was completed by Cone LLC found that 94 percent of consumers would switch brands if one carried a cause and another did not, this makes environmentally friendly brands more attractive
Small changes can make a large difference and by switching to recycled cardboard you will gain instead of losing customers.