Zero-packaging shops are popping up across major cities, plastic supermarket bags are being banned, and single-use coffee cups are on their way out. Sustainability is assuming a greater role in many aspects of our day-to-day lives. And the trend is not merely voiced in political surveys. It is actively shaping industry, with ramifications for the logistics world. Many businesses are gradually introducing eco-friendlier strategies. One approach: more sustainable packaging for orders placed online.  

Concrete plans have been laid out by e-tailer Zalando, for example. As reported by German logistics magazine logistik-heute, the European fashion giant aims to establish itself as an eco-friendlier platform by 2020. In particular, this vision foresees the future shipment of beauty products in small bags made of up to 100 percent recycled paper. Garments and accessories are to soon be dispatched in polybags made from 60 percent recycled plastic. In all, the company aims to use less and less virgin plastic for its packaging – with “less” being equivalent to 625 fewer metric tons compared to 2018. 

“There is a clear trend – the future of packaging is reusability. The question of what material to use, and how to organize the corresponding process, is not easy to answer. But this very fact motivates us all the more,”

explains Melanie Hultsch, Senior Corporate Responsibility Manager at Zalando.

SQUARE AND SIMPLE

Packages and pouches that can be reused multiple times are just the beginning. Dimensions also make a major difference. It is an all-too-common experience: you order a smartphone, for instance, and it arrives in an oversized box that could comfortably accommodate three pairs of shoes. What’s more, it is filled to the brim with foam peanuts or other void filler, ensuring the phone is not knocked around on its way to your door. The solution? A growing trend towards boxes tailored to their contents.    

And should an item be breakable – and cushioning therefore unavoidable – packaging specialists are providing alternative fillers made from bioplastics and plant-based materials. All the same, achieving entirely plastic-free warehousing and distribution remains a daunting challenge. “Businesses must be willing to reorganize their production processes and supply chains in order to make plastic-free feasible,” underscores packaging expert Gerhard Kotschik from the German Environmental Agency (UBA) in Dessau to German weekly Die Zeit. But recycled and alternative packaging is a first step in this direction.