Sustainability plays an increasingly important role within e-commerce. More and more online stores are becoming aware of the impact that their company, product and delivery has on the environment. Therefore, they are looking for ways to reduce this impact and to contribute in a positive way to the future of our planet.

The returns process, being an important part of e-commerce, is a challenging topic when it comes to sustainability. Many returns imply a whole lot of transport and packaging material, which in most cases puts a burden on the environment. 

Fortunately, there are more and more ways to minimize this burden. The following four methods will help online store owners to make their shipping and returns process as sustainable as possible.

1) Printing is no longer necessary 

It may seem like a small part of the returns process, but it can make a big difference. Do you still work with paper return forms on which the customer has to fill in what the return entails and why a product is being returned? In the year 2023 this is no longer necessary; barcodes can be scanned directly from your phone.

In fact, with the right returns software, the customer can easily put this information into an online returns portal. This saves paper as well as consumer time and money, plus you have all the information directly in an online system. In addition, many consumers no longer have a printer at home, which makes it difficult to print a return label.

In 2019, about 258 million online orders were made in the Netherlands, of which 13% were returned. This comes down to 33.5 million returns that year. And that is only in the Netherlands. Can you imagine how many sheets of paper we could save if all packages worldwide were reported through an online return system?

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2) Sustainable packaging 

For many online stores, return shipments involve quite a bit of wasted packaging material. In many cases a shipment is packed in a combination of plastic and paper, containing both the products and a large amount of air. Research by PostNL even showed that 50% of an average package consists of air and that most packages are therefore much too large.

Fortunately there are several ways to package a product as sustainable as possible. This includes: 

• Reducing the air in the packaging
• Using sustainable materials 
• Using letterbox packaging
• Using packaging that can be reused (e.g. for returns) 
  

The above mentioned PostNL research shows that 24% of the questioned consumers consider it important to receive sustainable packaging. Safe to say there's still a lot of awareness to be gained among consumers! 

Coolblue is a great example of a company that pays attention to sustainable packaging. In 2017, this company invested in a new packaging machine, which automatically adjusts boxes to the size of the order. This saves both packaging material and space in delivery vans so that fewer trips need to be made back and forth. Pieter Zwart from Coolblue indicates that since the deployment of the new machine 15% more packages fit into a truck.

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3) Sustainable transport 

Nowadays, everyone's aware of the fact that ordering and returning packages generates CO2 emissions. Almost all orders are driven by trucks back and forth between sorting centers and distribution centers, followed by delivery or pick up by vans at pick-up points or at people's homes.

Fortunately, the impact due to transportation can also be reduced in several ways. For example, as mentioned briefly earlier, the size of the package makes a big difference. The more effectively a product is packaged, the more packages fit into a van or truck and the fewer trips are required. 

Working with pick-up and drop-off points also saves on the number of journeys required. In this case, the van only needs to visit one address instead of the home addresses of all customers in the area.

Homerr, one of the carriers we work with at Returnista, is a perfect example of a courier company that pays close attention to sustainability. Homerr works with both pick-up and drop-off points and uses vans that pass by a certain pick-up point anyway. This enables them to save up to 79% in CO2 emissions per package.

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4) Reducing returns with a smart returns process

Finally, and perhaps the most important method of all, limiting returns in general. Every return that can be avoided saves back on transportation and packaging materials.

There are several ways to reduce the number of returns. Some useful methods include:  

• Responding to return behavior by keeping the right data. Products that are often returned are best removed from the assortment or given a less prominent place. Products that are returned less often can be given more attention. By playing this game cleverly, you can significantly reduce the number of returns.
  

• Adding enough information on the website so that the customer orders the right product. For example, choose to add size charts and the clearest possible photos or even videos. Photos and customer comments can also help create a realistic image of the product. 
  

• Using a convenient online returns portal where the customer can easily register his or her return. Adding to that, make sure he or she can choose a green alternative for the return and even compensate the CO2 of the return!

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Interested?

Are you interested in using Returnista's convenient returns portal? Or would you like to discuss sustainable returns with us? We would like to hear from you. 

Returns are no longer a pain in the ass with Returnista software. Increase customer satisfaction and reduce your costs with the help of a beautiful returns portal and a complete data dashboard. Would you like to get more value out of your returns process, just like Decathlon, Loavies and ASOS? Then request a demo on our website.