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Oct 22, 2020 at 6:30 PMPost CH AG, together with Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, conducted an online retailer survey to assess the sustainability of online shops. The Covid-19 pandemic also plays a role in the sustainable packaging and shipping solutions of the Post.
(Bern) – Online retail is currently experiencing a real boom. Since Corona, the volume of packages has been increasing – people are shopping online more and more worldwide, but also in Switzerland. The result: The Post is recording record amounts of processed packages. Those who order online are increasingly valuing sustainable shipping. There is a desire for more environmentally friendly packaging and emissions-free shipping. Therefore, sustainability has become one of the important purchasing criteria for many consumers.
New Ideas and Solutions Are Needed
Accordingly, the topic is becoming increasingly relevant for retailers as well. With the 2020 online retailer survey, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, on behalf of Swiss Post, examined the sustainability of Swiss e-commerce from the perspective of providers for the first time. It shows that, in addition to the products themselves, shipping packaging and shipping contribute to the sustainability balance of online shops. According to the research team from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, there is a need for improvement in shipping. Sustainable shipping options, such as CO2-free shipping, are rarely offered by online retailers.
The Post Must Find New Ways
The Post is trying to find new ways in the area of environmentally friendly packaging and shipping solutions and is also testing innovative products, such as the “Kickbag” – a newly developed reusable packaging made from recycled PET and plastic. Reusable materials have a particularly positive impact on the ecological balance. Products like the Post’s foldable package packaging (“PostPac”), which is made from recycled cardboard, are also environmentally friendly, as they are lightweight, recyclable, and the entire production is CO2-compensated. For years, the Post has focused on environmental, climate, and energy issues in its corporate responsibility strategy to further improve CO2 efficiency. The following overview shows which environmentally friendly packaging and shipping solutions the Post is focusing on.
The Yellow Box with Many Advantages – The Dispobox
Yellow, practical, good: The Dispobox. – © Post CH AG
Yellow, practical, good: The Dispobox. The boxes made of yellow, impact-resistant plastic serve as an economical and ecological packaging for shipping goods – and have been doing so for 25 years. Their advantage: they can be reused multiple times. The Post delivers, cleans, and stores them. A Dispobox can be in circulation about 360 times before it reaches the end of its lifespan. And even then, it is not simply thrown away, but returned to the material cycle. Specifically, this means that the company Georg Utz AG grinds the discarded Dispoboxes into fine granulate, from which new containers are subsequently created.
Also Refrigerated Transport in Environmental Boxes
The temperature-controlled shipping solution ThermoCare. – © Post CH AG
For temperature-sensitive goods such as medications, the Post offers the temperature-controlled shipping solution ThermoCare. Thanks to pre-tempered elements, the shipment remains within the temperature range during transport without additional cooling supply. The ThermoCare boxes are also reusable boxes and are fully recycled at the end of their lifespan.
Less Waste, Less CO2 – Also Thanks to the Kickbag
The so-called “Kickbag – for nature” – © Post CH AG
Since June, a test has been running with Stadtlandkind.ch and Stoff&so. To conserve resources and reduce packaging waste, the two online retailers have developed a reusable packaging for shipping orders to their customers: the so-called “Kickbag – for nature.” This is made from recycled PET and plastic. The special feature of the shipping bag is that it can be reused up to 30 times. After use, it is sufficient to fold the empty packaging and drop it into a Post mailbox. The shipping retailer will then prepare it for the next order.
Protecting the Climate Even in Shipping
The Post operates an energy-intensive business with its transport services. Therefore, it not only continuously reduces its CO2 emissions – for example, through the use of electric vehicles – but also, starting in January 2021, compensates for all shipping products CO2-emissions. These are therefore labeled with the “pro clima” label. The Post invests the contributions in climate protection projects both domestically and abroad.
Photos: © Post CH AG
