Exploring The Emerging Trends of Reusable Shipping Packaging for E-Commerce

Abstract

The rapid growth of e-commerce in terms of transaction volume and value has raised environmental concerns because of the potential for packaging waste it generates. Single-use shipping packages often result in piles of waste from cardboard, plastic and seal tape after the product is received by consumers. On the other hand, the customers of e-commerce products are also reported to be uncomfortable with shipping packaging which is often considered excessive. This problem gave birth to an innovative solution in the form of reusable shipping packaging for e-commerce product. This solution certainly considered interesting and promising, nevertheless, the scientific studies that address this issue are still limited. Therefore, this study aims to explore e-commerce shipping packaging, particularly in terms of its identifying attributes and seeking possible patterns. The findings are discussed using a descriptive analysis approach. As a result, it is found that several companies have launched products and services related to reusable e-commerce shipping packaging, and there are indications of certain patterns that are interrelated between these packaging attributes. This study hopes to contribute to the academic literature in the field of e-commerce reusable packaging, which is considered still in the infancy period.

Life cycle assessment of returnable mailers used for apparel electronic commerce: A case study in Canada

“…An increase in electronic commerce (e‐commerce) transactions 1,2 has led to considerable public concern regarding the environmental impacts of the number of packages required in e‐commerce supply chains 3–6 . These packages are typically single‐use, not necessarily recycled, and often designed with a large amount of materials to protect the contents during transport 7 .…”

“…Returnable packaging typically has higher durability than expendable packaging as returnable packages need to be recirculated and reused over a set number of trips. Transitioning from single‐use to returnable package systems can not only reduce packaging materials and operational costs for supply chains 11 but also helps alleviate the environmental burden through a reduction in material production and waste 5,12,13 . Previous studies have compared the environmental sustainability of returnable and single‐use package systems using life cycle assessment (LCA), focusing on packaging applications for fresh produce, 12–18 beverage 19–21 and automobiles 11 .…”

“…An increase in electronic commerce (e-commerce) transactions 1,2 has led to considerable public concern regarding the environmental impacts of the number of packages required in e-commerce supply chains. [3][4][5][6] These packages are typically single-use, not necessarily recycled, and often designed with a large amount of materials to protect the contents during transport. 7 Therefore, e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and many brand owners selling their products online have launched sustainable packaging initiatives that aim to reduce the environmental impacts of packaging.…”

“…Transitioning from single-use to returnable package systems can not only reduce packaging materials and operational costs for supply chains 11 but also helps alleviate the environmental burden through a reduction in material production and waste. 5,12,13 Previous studies have compared the environmental sustainability of returnable and single-use package systems using life cycle assessment (LCA), focusing on packaging applications for fresh produce, [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] beverage [19][20][21] and automobiles. 11 Unlike its active applications in traditional retail, the returnable packaging system has been a relatively uncommon option in e-commerce, especially in B2C.…”

Product Packaging by E-commerce Platforms: Impact of COVID-19 and Proposal for Circular Model to Reduce the Demand of Virgin Packaging

“…D. Increased customer loyalty: With the option of returning packaging at the time of the next delivery, customers are more likely to choose that particular e-commerce platform for subsequent orders. E. Attract environmentally conscious customers: Customers who care about the environment are more likely to order from e-commerce companies adopting such models [5,9,14,[34][35][36].…”