I love the convenience of shipping, but sometimes I wonder about the environmental impact of buying things online rather than buying local. I decided to investigate ways to green my shipping habits. Here is a guide on how to send packages more sustainably.
BENEFITS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: The goal is to reduce waste being sent to our landfills, conserve natural resources, and minimize greenhouse gas emissions for a brighter future for our planet.
Cost: No extra, in fact it might save you less if you ship with the environment in mind.
Time and Effort: Minimal and will be no extra effort after you get your routine down.
1. Choose Ground, Not Overnight
The most important decision you can make about shipping is whether to send your packages by ground or by air. Ground shipping uses less fuel than air shipping.1 The best way to save fuel and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to avoid shipping mail overnight.
Some shipping companies, including UPS and FedEx, are working to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with air shipping.2 However, ground shipping is still the most environmentally friendly option, so try to wait a few days if you can.
2. Choose the Right Shipping Company
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) offers a variety of green services. For example, you can purchase stamps and shipping materials online and have them delivered with your mail.3 In addition, you can print out a shipping label and schedule a free pickup so that the postman will collect your package for shipping at the same time that they drop off your mail.4
But the Postal Service isn’t the only eco-friendly way to ship. Both the USPS and private companies are all motivated to save costs by reducing drive times and increasing fuel efficiency. The USPS, UPS, and FedEx are all taking an extra effort to plan the best routes and figure out how to get packages to people most efficiently. These companies are all starting to utilize alternative fuel fleets. In addition, UPS5 and FedEx6 offer carbon offset programs.
3. Ship Things Together
By shipping materials together in one large container rather than multiple small containers it is possible to save on wrapping materials, packaging and labeling. In addition, packing multiple items together also helps delivery drivers fill trucks more efficiently. Whenever you buy a product, consider whether you might be able to buy it in bulk to save on packaging, transportation related emissions, time, and money.
4. Reuse Shipping Materials
10Shipping companies, including USPS, FedEx and UPS, have also launched eco-friendly packaging lines to save on packing and shipping parcels. Some of these packaging options include reusable envelopes,7 biodegradable starch packing peanuts,8 and boxes made from recycled cardboard.9 If you don’t have any immediate use for your reusable materials you can use a neighborhood swapping website, such as Bright Neighbor or Freecycle to share your supplies with others in your community. You can always look on Craigslist as well for used packing materials. Don’t forget to save your own packaging to use for future shipments and even wrapping gifts for holidays ☺
5. Think Before You Make Purchases
Shipping companies are doing their best to make the shipping business greener. However, the best way to ensure that your shipping is eco-friendly will always be to limit purchase and shipments. Each time you make a purchasing decision that will involve shipping think through that decision and all of its environmental implications. Ask yourself: Do I need this? Was this product produced sustainably? Should I wait so that I can purchase multiple items together? Is this something that I can recycle later? Also, look for companies when doing your online shopping that don’t use plastic packaging or popcorn, but just wrap non-delicate items in a sheet of paper or nothing at all!
