Kristen Proctor
Head of Strategic Growth & Marketing, Autofulfil
Ecommerce is quick and convenient — but it’s also a big generator of carbon emissions. Leaders within the fulfilment industry are fighting back with a range of sustainability initiatives.
The exponential growth of online shopping is great for e-businesses and convenient for consumers. However, it has a massive, detrimental impact on the environment says Kristen Proctor, Head of Strategic Growth and Marketing at ecommerce fulfilment provider, Autofulfil.
Carbon-neutral fulfilment and offsets
“Take packaging, which is responsible for 45% of the ecommerce industry’s total emissions and the reason why 3 billion trees are pulped every year,” says Proctor. “Then, there’s shipping and returns, which are responsible for 37% of greenhouse gases produced by the industry — a number expected to increase by 30% over the next five years. It’s a huge problem.”
Three years ago, Proctor’s employer stepped up its sustainability plans and partnered with Trees for the Future, a nonprofit that has planted over 250 million trees globally since 1989. The company’s 100,000 sqft Galway-based fulfilment centre was the first in Ireland to achieve carbon-neutral status, with trees being planted to offset the emissions of every order it ships. “We’ve already offset more than one million lbs of CO2,” she adds. Even so, the company is aware that offsetting is not enough, which is why a raft of sustainability initiatives are being prioritised across its operations.
We cut electricity
consumption by
55% last year.
Sustainable packaging and energy cuts
For example, Autofulfil uses paper-based, fully recyclable, biodegradable packaging — and all of its cardboard boxes are ethically sourced from Forest Stewardship Council-certified suppliers. “Plus, we’ve installed motion sensor lighting throughout the facility, cut heater usage and switched the bulbs in our offices to LEDs,” says Proctor. “We cut electricity consumption by 55% last year.”
Additionally, an Employee Sustainability Committee meets monthly to brainstorm and implement sustainability initiatives that could be introduced going forward. This includes ideas like the possibility of Autofulfil shredding and reusing cardboard waste as packaging filler, for example.
Sustainability initiatives popular with consumers
Such initiatives aren’t just good for the planet. They’re also popular with consumers. Statistics show that increasing numbers of Irish shoppers are keen to go green, with 41% saying they would be willing to pay a premium for more sustainable products and 49% preferring to buy products with less packaging.
“Our ecommerce clients love what we’ve achieved, too,” says Proctor. “That’s because they can tell their customers how sustainable they are being because of what weare doing. It’s early days, but we’re proud of these results and excited to do more.”
