Despite the intense focus supply chains place on sending orders to customers, much also has to be considered when implementing a returns process.
Returns are intrinsically linked to shopping habits and also vary from sector to sector. By examining returns, processes, consumer habits or reuse, online retailers are exploring ways to address returns in relation to sustainability.
In 2017, e-commerce items returned in the United States amounted to US$121 billion.
Changing shopping habits of consumers may be too complex. Retailers are instead making moves to reduce waste through adopting clever packaging designs that customers can easily repack and return.
Thoughtful foresight into packaging design will help to minimize product damage, save on transportation costs and reduce the impact the process has on the environment.
Bags with resealable features, for instance, can be quickly reconstituted as returns packaging.
Meanwhile, in the fashion sector, online size guidance and the introduction of standardized size specifications reduces returns rates.
Make recycling easier for your customers. Using cardboard boxes and inserts that are recyclable or biodegradable makes the process of recycling easier for customers, and dramatically reduces the amount of waste you produce.
Estée Lauder is an example of a cosmetics company with a long-term commitment to eco-friendly practices. In 1991, it released its Origins cosmetics line, which features environmentally friendly ingredients and packaging, plus a built-in recycling program.
The company also creates bundle packs and wraps to reduce materials and costs. The chipboard (paper) carriers they use are made from 100% recycled materials.
In 2008, its Aveda division pioneered the first ever rigid plastic caps recycling program in the US to raise awareness of the alarming amounts of plastics polluting our planet.
At the time, Aveda set up an infrastructure to collect the caps, ship them to one of three consolidation centers around the US, then send them to a facility in Troy, Ala., where they are reground and made into new products.
