Consumer purchasing grows greener

The importance of being eco-friendly has grown astronomically over the years. eCommerce brands are taking huge steps to lower their environmental impact and create a competitive advantage through sustainability. If businesses aren’t already, they need to start thinking and acting green to keep up with the expectations of consumers.

Eco-purchasing is a growing trend affecting decisions made by consumers. More than half of online shoppers say they are concerned the rise of e-commerce is a problem for the environment and 52% claim to choose to purchase from one online store, over another if the environmental impact of the delivery is lower.

Contents Overview:

Eco Purchasing  Eco Packaging  What a waste Packaging Trends  Brands must deliver sustainably

Eco Purchasing

Whilst attitudes vary across generations, countries and industries, 85% of consumers have become ‘greener’ in their purchasing in recent years.

Regarding the importance of purchasing eco-friendly products, 41% said it was very important, with only 6% stating it was not important to them.

96% of UK consumers said they had purchased eco-friendly and sustainable products (34% regularly and 62% occasionally), only 4% said never.

Eco-Packaging

Eco-packaging is a serious consideration for online consumers, with packaging being the biggest environmental concern amongst European online shoppers.

European consumers are mainly concerned about packaging:

What a waste

Paper and cardboard make up 17% of the global waste generated – the second-highest amount after food and green waste.

In the US alone, the total amount of cardboard used for packaging every year equates to 1 billion trees. 

The environmental impact of eCommerce is viewed as a big problem by consumers.

Keeping up with consumers’ rising eco-friendly expectations should be a major focus for eCommerce businesses.

Packaging Trends

Recycled packaging

Businesses that promote reusable packaging are strengthening and helping their brand, stand out.

In order for packaging to be recyclable, it needs to satisfy three simple criteria:

1. Be separable
2. Labelled correctly
3. Clean

Less is more

A more minimalist approach to packaging is a fantastic way to reduce your environmental impact.

In fact, 75% of UK consumers agree online stores often use too much packaging to ship their orders.

Biodegradable packaging

Biodegradable or compostable packaging is growing in popularity.

Common examples of biodegradable or compostable packaging are plant-able seed paper boxes, glass containers, bamboo and rice husk.

Use of Eco-Friendly Inks

Companies are refraining from using petroleum-based inks in their packaging and are instead looking for greener alternatives.

Many companies are opting for soy-based or vegetable inks as these are biodegradable and less likely to release any toxic chemicals when manufactured or disposed of.

QR codes

Whilst QR codes are not new, more and more online retailers are using QR codes on packaging to increase sustainability.

Using a QR code is an inventive way to provide additional information about your product and business to customers.

Brands must deliver sustainably

As consumers embrace a more sustainable lifestyle, they are expecting businesses to help them achieve this and according to a survey conducted by Deloitte:

The research found that ‘Better schemes to remove plastics and packaging’ features top of the eco wish list with 64% of consumers believing that this would help with adopting a more sustainable lifestyle.

Consumers are actively seeking brands that offer sustainable choices and over a third are willing to pay more if brands are committed to environmental practices.

Businesses that do not support sustainable lifestyle choices risk losing customers to rivals who are deemed to be greener.

With specialised warehouse facilities, Whistl can offer you a bespoke pick and pack service. You can be sure that your product reaches your customer safely, using only the packaging that is needed for each order to reduce wastage.