The dilemma of sustainable e-commerce brands

While in the development of our sustainable brand we began to look at sustainable shipping options and found that there were not that many options and they all have various pros and cons.  We knew that we wanted to find the most sustainable way to ship out sustainable “Zero Waste” products to our customers but what was the best available option for us.

There were a few reusable mailers on the market but most of them were too expensive for the products that we were developing, were made from virgin materials, or were not available in the U.S. market.  Sustainable shipping is really lagging behind in the U.S., where Europe has taken the lead.  We also looked at compostable mailers.  These were a much better option and relatively affordable.  This seems like a great option, but this too fell short of our goals.  Compostable mailers are still single-use, need to be made from virgin materials, and will still end up in the landfills or incinerated unless the receiver were to have a composter and take such initiative as to compost this product (if even an option.)  In large measure, the idea of compostable mailers seemed like a better option than a non-compostable option or even paper but still fell short. As a brand that is marketed as “Zero Waste’, we had to do something to make our shipping methods align with our brand.

How can a sustainability brand ship e-commerce products sustainably

So for a product to live up to the sustainability brand, a product had to be made from reclaimed material where possible, last a long time, be lightweight, and have an end of life use that does not end up in a landfill.  As this did not seem to exist, we set out to create the most sustainable e-commerce shipping option available and provide this as a service to the sustainable brands who need it, as well as all stores that value sustainable and responsible shipping practices. This is why we started RESENDME and offer this as a service to anyone looking for a sustainable shipping or mailing solution.

The future of e-commerce shipping

With the trends of online commerce only increasing into the future the number and volume of shipping boxes and mailers filling our dumps will only rise along with it unless we act now.  By creating a culture of reusability and sustainability in shipping we can reverse the damage to our environment that is expected and make online shopping environmentally responsible.  Anyone shipping a product should consider the true cost of single-use mailers and what they as a business can do.  This will also take the consideration of the individual shopper and a willingness to act in the interest of our planet and accept the additional cost as a part of responsible e-commerce shopping.  We will all have to ask ourselves, “what is our role in this solution?”