Whether we ship occasionally or on a regular basis as part of our business, we should always be looking at packaging and shipping procedures that have less impact on the environment. Thinking green, even in shipping, is the way to go to help prevent the further degradation of our environment. Here are some eco-friendly shipping tips to achieve environmentally-sound shipping.
Avoid overnight shipping if possible. To ensure fast delivery, overnight shipping transport items via air which uses more fuel than ground shipping. To ensure that your item reach its destination on time, ship it earlier on ground transport.
Use a known and established carrier. Shipping companies such as UPS, FedEx, and USPS have been a round for years and are trying their best in practicing eco-friendly shipping procedures to transport items. For one, they all use alternative fuel vehicles and recyclable packaging materials.
Ship several items together. If shipping several items to one destination, pack and ship them all together in one package. This will not only save you on packing materials, it will also be more efficient in terms of energy consumption compared to sending them separately.
Use eco-friendly packing materials. Shipping boxes made from recycled cardboard that can be recycled again can help lessen the number of trees that are needed to be cut to produce new boxes. Biodegradable packing peanuts will not clog drains and pile up in landfills.
Reuse and recycle. Shipping boxes that have kept their integrity and can still protect items can be used again. Packing peanuts can also be used over and over again. Keeping them in circulation is the best way to prevent them from harming the environment. If you have a stash of these materials and you have no plans of reusing them, you can drop them off to shipping companies where they can be reused or disposed off properly. If you happen to have the biodegradable kind, it is best to reuse them or give it to others who needs them. They do take a larger amount of energy to make, and will continue to get made if you dissolve them yourself.