Sustainable Ecommerce: Small Changes That Make A Big Difference

The health of our planet is something that many people are passionate about. Environmental friendliness is not always the easiest or most convenient route, but more and more consumers and businesses have been pledging to make a positive impact. This Earth Day, evaluate the changes you can make to improve your sustainability and help keep our earth beautiful.

What Is Sustainability?

Sustainability is simply reducing the negative impact your business has on the environment and working toward more Eco-friendly solutions. There are many ways to improve your sustainability, both big and small. When talking about your sustainability efforts, make sure that you are following through and not using “green-washing”. Green-washing is the act of using environmentally friendly buzzwords or providing misleading information to make your business sound more Eco-friendly. Deceiving your customers is never acceptable, so make sure you follow through with your sustainability efforts!

How To Make Your Business More Sustainable:

There are many ways you can improve your sustainability! If you have physical products, packaging and transport can be one of the biggest negative impacts on the environment. Think about how you are packaging your products- are you adding in packing peanuts, excessive tissue paper, or lots of plastic? How about any fun little extras, such as stickers or little plastic pouches? While these are fun for customers to open, more often than not they end up in the trash. If you have put a lot of effort into your packaging, and think that many customers still want to receive them, consider adding in an Eco-friendly checkout option for those who would like to reduce their waste. Even if just a portion of your customers chooses this option, it will still make a positive impact. Additionally, cutting back on packaging can help save you money- a win for everyone!

Look into switching to recycled packing options, and recyclable options. Materials like thin, flimsy plastic can’t be recycled, so avoid that if possible. Cardboard and paper can often be recycled or reused, which makes them much better for sustainability. Refillable products have also been gaining popularity. If you can find a way to make your products refillable, rather than single-use, consider making that an option! Although the initial cost might be more, many customers will be willing to spend a little extra on higher quality products that they can use long-term. If this is possible for you, create an easy refill program for them so that they can continue to receive your products with ease.

Consider switching to an eco-friendly hosting provider. These are becoming increasingly common, and will not make a negative impact on your website or how it runs. The more cluttered your website is, the more energy it will use. Having a clean, simple design without GIFs or videos that play automatically helps cut back on your energy usage, as does having a site that loads quickly. Making your website clear and user-friendly also helps cut back on energy usage, and also encourages customers to come back for a pleasant shopping experience.

If you are a small business, it can be hard to feel like you’re making a difference. Consider finding an organization dedicated to bettering the planet, and donating some proceeds to them. If you choose to do that, consider running a promotion and advertising it to your audience. Doing this will boost your sales, allow you to donate more to the organization of your choosing, and help you build a relationship with your audience.

Whether you are making big changes or small changes, you will be making a positive impact. With many customers trying to transition to more eco-friendly practices, this is a great opportunity to help your audience be sustainable while helping keep our planet healthy. Have you adopted any eco-friendly practices? Are there any sustainable changes you plan on making soon? Let us know in the comments!