Shopping online is saving us all time and money, but the environment is coming off second best.
According to Play Market Research, Australian ecommerce is growing five times faster than traditional bricks and mortar stores. And, as the ecommerce industry grows, so too is the amount of packaging used to distribute products direct from warehouse to consumer - think boxes, bubble wrap and all of those packing peanuts!
What’s more, ecommerce businesses often use packaging materials inefficiently, which is further contributing to the rise in packaging production and the waste associated with it.
Packaging authority, Smithers Pira predicts that the global market for ecommerce packaging will expand at an annual rate of 14.3 per cent through to 2022.
But that’s ok, because packaging can be recycled. Can’t it?
While some packaging may be labelled as recyclable or biodegradable, recycling is still an energy intensive exercise, and not all packing products actually end up at recycling facilities. In fact, thanks to the growth in ecommerce, we’re seeing an increasing amount of packaging materials being sent to landfill.
This global packaging problem is an issue that’s being tackled head on by our team at Crema Joe. For us, our products are just the beginning - talking about sustainability isn’t enough. We want to lead by example and practice what we preach.
We've put a focus on promoting a circular economy, whereby product re-use is encouraged in every way. That includes product packing materials. We collect packaging materials from local businesses and individuals that would otherwise end up in the bin. Boxes and packing peanuts that generally get sent straight to landfill can easily be reused - we want to prolong the life of these items by encouraging their re-use for as long as possible.
We aim to reduce incoming materials from our suppliers where possible. And where packing materials are necessary, they are disposed of or moved forward consciously or repurposed consciously: rubber bands are passed on to the local post office and craft supplies like cardboard rolls from tape head to a local kindergartens for further use in their educational practices etc.
To find out how you can contribute to a positive impact, head to our Recycling Program page.Our coffee capsule users are now helping to save over 11.5 million pods from landfill yearly, and we hope you will join the sustainable coffee pod movement too!
Image source: Business Insider