A new report suggests that more than a third of global retailers are shipping products worldwide in twice the size actually needed. The study by DS Smith found that 34% of retailers admitted to oversized packaging. The space waste means at least 122 million tonnes of CO2 is unnecessarily emitted every year according to the study.
However, retailers aren’t pushing for change despite the wasted resources, it seems. Only 36% had conducted an audit of the empty space in their products’ packaging, and only a third (34%) had considered changing to a more optimised packaging solution. This is despite both retailers and their customers effectively wasting money.
Alessandro Fulvi, DS Smith packaging marketing director, said: “Removing what is effectively ‘empty space’ would translate into billions of pounds worth of potential savings in shipping costs – which are currently passed onto the consumer. As the maturity of the e-commerce shopper evolves, it is no longer acceptable just to deliver goods on time and free from damage. Excess packaging and the empty space within a delivered carton frustrates the consumer and creates a negative brand experience,” said Fulvi.
Retailers instead need to optimise packaging at both the manufacturing source and at fulfilment centre level, says the company. The full report is available from: https://www.strategic-packaging.com/download-whitepaper-the-empty-space-economy
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