eDelivery has published its deep dive into post-purchase sustainability, “Sustainability: After The Buy Button, 2020”.
The report, published in partnership with Metapack and unveiled at the Delivery Conference 2020, looks at the strategies retailers are using to reduce the carbon emissions and plastic waste from logistics, last mile and returns.
It goes through each part of the post-purchase journey in detail and looks at the technologies and approaches available. Topics covered include:
- Warehousing: How LEDs and sensors can boost efficiency, lowering both costs and emissions.
- Packaging: How new materials are vying to replace plastic, while smarter packaging machines look to reduce the amount of overpackaging.
- Last mile and logistics: Alternative fuels to diesel such as electric vehicles, natural gas, hydrogen and cargo bikes.
- Reverse logistics: How retailers are getting products back from the consumer as returns grow.
Some key findings from the report:
- Surveys show consumers care about emissions and plastic waste. The bad news is these same consumers don’t want to pay more. Balancing cost and sustainability will be a key challenge.
- Despite its impact on emissions, diesel is a versatile technology. There isn’t really a zero-emission alternative that covers all the same distances and use-cases, so carriers will have to use a multitude of technologies.
- Often solving one sustainability problem creates another. For example, removing plastic packaging from supermarkets increases perishability, meaning more food waste and more unnecessary carbon emissions.
