Themes such as corporate social responsibility and sustainable entrepreneurship are now integral to modern business practices. This includes aspects like talent development and how values and norms are upheld. The environment also falls under this umbrella. Have you ever considered the impact of your business activities on the environment or how large your ecological footprint is? More and more consumers place great importance on whether your business plan takes people and the environment into account. We provide you with some insights on how you can reduce your ecological footprint!
What Role Does a Webshop Play in the Consumer’s Ecological Footprint?
Online shopping is often blamed for negatively impacting the environment and increasing the ecological footprint of both the webshop and the consumer. Many consider this to be true, but nothing could be further from the truth! Research shows that online shopping can actually reduce your ecological footprint. How is that possible? The logic is quite simple. When you need to make multiple purchases from different stores, chances are that you will visit these stores on different days, driving back and forth each time.
This is where online shopping proves to be a better alternative. Why? Because, like many others, you place your order online. The orders are then collected by a courier service, with multiple packages being picked up at the same time from a central warehouse. Take, for example, a fulfillment center like Webship, where packages from numerous webshops are shipped daily. The packages are sorted by region, and a courier delivers them using the most efficient route, ensuring deliveries are made in a single streamlined trip. This method significantly reduces emissions compared to consumers individually driving to multiple stores.
Even if everyone were to visit the same store, online shopping would still be the more sustainable choice. The many separate trips by different consumers to the same store result in higher emissions than a courier service following an optimized delivery route.
How Can a Business Control Its Ecological Footprint?
Businesses can also contribute to sustainability. There are various ways to manage or reduce their ecological footprint.
Sustainable Materials
It may seem obvious, but using sustainable materials is crucial. When shipping packages, you rely on packaging materials. Every order requires one or more shipping boxes and some form of protective material. There are countless options available on the market. If you want to minimize your webshop’s ecological footprint, choose sustainable and recyclable materials. Of course, avoiding plastic is essential. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives! Consider paper filler and biodegradable packing peanuts.
Additionally, warehouses use tools, machines, and materials that impact the environment. As an entrepreneur, you can make a difference by opting for eco-friendly alternatives wherever possible.
Waste Management
If you want to integrate sustainability into your business processes, you must also consider an efficient waste management strategy. Simply throwing everything into a single large container is outdated. Properly sorting different types of waste is essential. Even just sorting waste can significantly reduce your ecological footprint.
At Webship, we strive to sort and recycle as much waste as possible. For instance, we have a dedicated container for paper and cardboard, which is sent to a company specializing in recycling these materials.
Project OOOT: One Order, One Tree
Sustainable business practices are easier said than done. Even we at Webship cannot entirely avoid actions that negatively impact the environment. However, we actively map out these actions and seek eco-friendly alternatives. There are also ways to offset your ecological footprint by supporting specific initiatives. At Webship, we participate in the One Order, One Tree project, where a tree is planted for every sales order from a participating fulfillment client. This way, we contribute to a better world! Want to learn more about this project? Visit the Project OOOT mini-website.
Want to Reduce Your Ecological Footprint? Choose Fulfillment!
Running a business with a focus on people and the environment is not easy. Managing your ecological footprint requires investment. As a small webshop, meeting these standards can be challenging. Fortunately, there is a simple solution: fulfillment.
A fulfillment partner like Webship takes over the entire logistics process of your webshop. This gives you more time to grow your online store. Additionally, you can benefit from the expertise of a fulfillment partner in inventory management, order processing, and logistics. At Webship, we are actively committed to sustainable entrepreneurship.
Does this sound appealing to you? Get in touch with Webship at hallo@webship.be or calculate your all-in fulfillment price using our cost price calculator.
