Sustainability is a consistent debate among businesses nowadays, especially with more and more companies actively doing their part to be more eco-friendly! And one of the best ways to do so is to change your packaging strategy and implement more sustainable solutions. Therefore, without much further ado, let’s explore the benefits of eco-friendly packaging in logistics.
Increased sales to offset costs
The first of the benefits of eco-friendly packaging in logistics is the fact that it drives up sales. Customers today are becoming more discerning and insist more on sustainability. This, in turn, makes it more difficult for companies that refuse to introduce eco-friendly elements into their business plan. They often cannot keep their old customers or even attract new ones.
For a long time, businesses and logistics companies have hesitated to go sustainable. This is because of the costs associated with such a move. In order to really go sustainable, many changes need to be made and a lot of equipment replaced. These challenges of sustainable logistics make it so that not many people see it as a viable business move even today. And yet, the fact that you can get more customers by going sustainable offsets some of these costs. And even puts you ahead of the competition!
Higher packaging quality
The second benefit of eco-friendly packaging in logistics is that it’s often high-quality. You see, companies that produce eco-friendly packaging are well aware of the stance of other businesses. The costs associated with sustainability also make it difficult for them to market their product properly. As such, they tend to prioritize the quality of the products they produce. The logic is that higher-quality packaging will win over their target audience. And this is indeed the case! The high quality of eco-friendly packaging is highly appealing to all logistics companies. After all, as the moving and storage experts from Hansen’s Moving and Storage CA point out, quality packaging can make a world of difference when transporting or storing your items. The appeal of sustainable packaging is even more significant when compared to the relatively lacking quality of the more ‘traditional’ packaging.
A decrease in shipping costs
Interestingly enough, one of the most significant benefits of eco-friendly packaging in logistics is decreased shipping costs. This is because eco-friendly packaging is typically lighter than the alternative. In other words, if you use a shipping company to transport your goods at least part of the way, you would pay less for their services. This impact may not be easily discernable the first few times you ship out goods. However, considering the volume of goods a logistics company goes through over months and years of operation, the value you get from using eco-friendly packaging grows immensely. The money you save could cover a portion of the cost you’d need to pay to switch to a sustainable business model. Since the primary concern regarding sustainability is cost, this is another argument in favor of eco-friendly packaging.
Safer and more user-friendly packaging
The safety of operations and customer appeal are equally important. And eco-friendly packaging will help you with both. Not just because customers tend to prefer eco-friendly practices, either. But because the packaging of this type is actually very ‘safe’ to use. In the sense that eco-friendly packaging is never made from toxic or harmful materials. And that the materials are improbable to trigger anyone’s allergies. In other words, your customers will love it more because they can easily handle it and keep it in their homes. And your employees will be safer when doing their jobs for the very same reasons. This makes warehousing easier and safer since people who work in warehouses are constantly exposed to the packaging of the goods placed inside.
The boost for your company’s image
One of the best reasons to switch to eco-friendly packaging in logistics is the simple matter of brand image. You can earn a lot of attention and customer loyalty by promoting the fact that you use sustainable packaging. Considering the fact that there’s a ton of competition in the logistics industry, this can become a great selling point for you. You need to find a way to make your company stand out, so why not get ahead of the times, implement measures that will eventually become compulsory, and win over a more significant portion of the market? There are only benefits to going sustainable early if you are smart about it. And considering all the ways to offset the costs and drawbacks of doing it, you don’t really have a good reason for holding out, either!
Officially reduce your carbon footprint
The final benefit of eco-friendly packaging in logistics is reducing your company’s carbon footprint. This can also serve as a PR, branding, and marketing gimmick. But it also helps your company from an official standpoint. The government is becoming more active in tracking carbon footprints, and we expect measures to be implemented that further regulate the subject. It is becoming increasingly apparent that we must take better care of our environment. And as already stated, the drawbacks of sustainability are slowly vanishing. Take the benefits of rail freight, for example. Yes, most of them benefit the environment. But there are genuine reasons for companies to switch at least partly to using rail freight due to the financial advantages of doing it, too!
What all the benefits of eco-friendly packaging in logistics lead to
From everything we mentioned exploring the benefits of eco-friendly packaging in logistics, implementing it sooner rather than later is the best option. Of course, the beginning is the most challenging part of any change. As such, we have a long way to go before introducing sustainability universally. But, if you take steps now, the latter part of the process will be much easier. And you will be able to reap the benefits of being one of the first to start championing the cause of sustainable logistics.
