1. Material usage
Let’s start with the basics: how much material do you actually use to wrap and deliver your products?
Often more than necessary. Overpackaging leads to greater resource consumption, more emissions and more waste.
To optimise material use, avoid overpackaging, design boxes or bags that fit the product, and switch to lighter materials. Even small changes can lead to significant savings when multiplied by thousands of shipments.
2. End-of-life scenario
Once the packaging has served its purpose and reached the customer, what happens next? Many brands lose sight of sustainability at this stage. If packaging is not recyclable, reusable or properly disposable, it often ends up in landfill or, even worse, in the environment.
Ask yourself: can my customers easily recycle the e-commerce packaging where they live? Is it designed to be reused at least once?
Use mono-material packaging (so customers don’t have to separate layers), print clear instructions, and consider return systems for reusable options.
3. Carbon footprint
The carbon footprint of packaging is a long story that starts with raw materials, goes through production and transport, and ends with disposal.
It’s not just about what the packaging is made of, but also how far it travels and for how long.
When assessing the carbon footprint of packaging, it’s important to carefully examine which stage of the life cycle contributes the most (materials, transport or disposal). Choose recycled or low-impact materials, work with local suppliers where possible, and reduce packaging weight to lessen your environmental impact.
4. Circular design
Recycling is great. Reuse is even better. Circular design means going beyond the “use and throw away” principle and trying to keep materials in use for as long as possible.
Have you ever thought about how many times your packaging can be reused and what percentage actually makes it back for reuse?
At Movopack, we believe in circularity beyond recyclability. Our reusable and customisable e-commerce packaging is made from up to 100% recycled and recyclable plastic and can be used for 20 or more shipments.
After each use, customers can simply drop them off at any European post box. We take care of cleaning and preparing them for the next shipment. As a result, you can save up to 98% of packaging waste and 84% of CO₂ emissions compared to a single-use cardboard box.
Conclusion
Movopack helps forward-thinking brands transition from single-use packaging to an efficient and fully customisable reusable packaging system that reduces their carbon footprint while optimising packaging design and material use.
Are you ready to take the next step towards more sustainable e-commerce packaging?
