5 Reasons Your Ecommerce Brand Should Go Green

1. Your customers are demanding it

Sustainability is no longer an 'it' word or a fad. It is now mainstream and is driving the consumption decisions of younger generations. In the most recent Deloitte Millennials survey, almost 40 percent of respondents stated that the goal of business should be to "improve society", second only to "generate jobs", in terms of priorities. 

Not only do customers want businesses to make a difference in the world but 74% of consumers are ready to pay extra for sustainable packaging, according to new research by Trivium Packaging.

Further, Sendle’s survey saw that 64% of consumers would be more likely to buy from a retailer that offered compostable packaging.

2. You can future-proof your business

Remember bricks and mortar? 

For thousands of years the only way to conduct business was to have an actual storefront. 

Enter the internet. Now the landscape of commerce has changed dramatically and many businesses have failed to adapt.

Similarly, if you’re not starting to be eco-conscious today, you may not survive as a business tomorrow.

At the moment this only applies to your marketing and customer experience, but soon it will become a regulatory requirement too. 

Governments worldwide are waking up to the insidious nature of plastic packaging, as it accumulates in our ecosystem and food chain, and are making legislative changes to align themselves with public demands. Particularly here in Australia, where Commonwealth and all State and Territory jurisdictions have agreed to enforcing all packaging to be reusable, compostable or recyclable by 2025.

The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has a target of 70% of packaging composted or recycled by 2025.

Now that's a future we can all get behind.

3. It enhances your unboxing experience

Why is the unboxing experience so important? 

It might be because we all remember opening presents as children and the rush of anticipation and excitement it provided. 

Receiving a package as an adult brings back that flood of endorphins. So why not take advantage of those feelings and provide your customers with sustainable wow factor? 

If you think of packaging in those terms and not just something to get your product from A to B safely, it makes it an obvious choice to spend a touch extra to create something that truly sets you apart from the crowd and leaves your customers feeling all warm and fuzzy in that post-purchase phase. It's also great way to drive customer loyalty and craft your brands narrative and story! 

4. It helps reduce plastic pollution and your carbon footprint

Do this and you're leading the way to help tackle two of the most significant environmental challenges of our time.

Plastic is contaminating our environment at an alarming rate (most of the plastic that exists today was made in the last decade). Carbon emissions are responsible for accelerating climate change and could threaten our very existence.

By going green, your business is doing something about it.

And if that doesn't float your boat (no judgment here 🙄), then even the most enterprising of us will appreciate the benefits that sustainable packaging can have on a company’s brand image. Shout it from the rooftops, plaster it across your socials and website; it's a great opportunity to create great content!

5. It feels good knowing you're making a difference

Getting back to basics feels good. 

Knowing every package you send isn't staying around for 400 years and contaminating our planet with microplastics feels even better. 

If it leads to an appreciation of humus, or a hankering to get composting yourself, then that's a big win. 

Anyhow, contributing to something bigger than our business makes even the toughest day worthwhile for us here at HeapsGood. We’re pretty sure making a difference will make you feel the same way.

After all, small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.