The issue of sustainability has recently become one of the most pressing topics for large companies. When considering the growing concerns of global warming, and climate change in general, companies are forced to adapt new standards for their processes. One of those being packaging. Although companies feel pressure from the public to change to sustainable packaging, they should also consider the benefits that it would have for the environment and their future.
As the ecommerce industry is constantly evolving, companies are looking for ways to improve their revenue. The implementation of environmentally friendly packaging would do just that. Recently, customers have been looking for sustainability efforts made by the companies they buy from. For example, when Patagonia replaced poly bags with paper mailers for a study, they saw a “14% increase in customer satisfaction” (Cohen). This proves that customers are becoming aware of the company’s carbon footprint. Some consumers may not notice, but those that do will make sure people know their favorite companies are improving. Furthermore, the marketing campaigns for online sellers can expand sustainability efforts and increase website traffic with new strategies of attracting customers. Brands such as H&M and ZARA have done sustainability campaigns which entailed the statements of “cruelty-free products” and “100% sustainable materials
by 2025” (Bilir). To some, these campaigns may seem bold and somewhat hypocritical when the brands’ pasts of fast fashion is considered. Still, consumers are more likely to click on a website that promises to do no harm than those that don’t.
Consumers look for brands that aren’t afraid to make changes and work towards a better future. When determining how to make these changes, the practice of forward-thinking must be put in place. Some of these changes can include reducing waste, recycling, and producing new products with recycled materials. Companies such as Allbirds, the shoe brand, are setting goals to reach by 2025 such as “using 75% sustainably sourced natural and recycled materials” (Allbirds). Statements like this exemplify the company’s ability to transform its ideals and efforts towards a better tomorrow. Clearly, they are taking initiative to protect the environment and show their care for their carbon footprint. Other companies may implement these goals on a smaller scale and aim for lower percentages of change but still improve their efforts. In fact, smaller companies are usually more successful in their efforts because they are forced to be “more transparent” (Cernansky) about their changes. They may also choose to take one sustainable approach at a time. Most companies are not able to take several measures at one time, but a great start is at environmentally friendly packaging.
When companies look to include new processes in their future growth, they should immediately implement environmentally friendly packaging. Yes, it seems like a small change. Nevertheless, when used in large corporations the lower levels of carbon footprints would be significant. Therefore, more companies should adopt environmentally friendly packaging in order to increase ecommerce traffic and improve the future of their business.
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Essay by: Elizabeth Smith
Houston High School