>

How etailers are reducing environmental impact through easier returns

10th Jul 2019

Contact Us

Anthony Brimelow, Commercial Director at Duo UK, explains how an easier returns policy can reduce waste and environmental impact.

Keeping valuable plastic in the economy and out of the environment.

We have invested in barcode printers and a system of sequential labelling, which enables unique information to be printed directly onto each mailing bag. As well as enabling the retailer to keep track on usage of each packaging item, this technology can also be used to print a returns label eradicating the need to print off and include a paper label within the package.

Printing directly onto the mailing bag also makes the bag easier to recycle in a closed loop recycling system and results in brands gaining higher value back on their scrap, something that allows a retailer to ease its margins on returned items.

We have also made great strides in industrial recycling of waste plastic mailing bags returned by online retail customers, experiencing a significant increase in retailers adopting our closed-loop recycling service. Retailers segregate their waste polythene from other material streams and we will collect and recycle this valuable commodity. As well as generating income from their waste which can be used to off-set their packaging spend, the recycled pellets are put to good use by being used to make new packaging items and reduce dependency on finite, virgin polythene. It also contributes to reducing a company’s carbon footprint.

The use of plastic packaging in the industry has come under scrutiny over recent years, however, the efficiencies in the supply chain and its environmental credentials compared to alternative postal packaging options means plastic packaging is something that is going to be part of the industry for years to come. We have managed to make it more environmentally friendly through the use of Green PE, a material derived from renewable sugar cane. Our Green PE mailing bags have been adopted by a large number of retailers as they want to move towards the use of more sustainable materials, and their customers are increasingly buying products based on a brand’s values.

All of these efficiency and innovation measures have been painstakingly made with a clear and unwavering goal in mind: to keep valuable plastic in the economy and out of the environment.

As Featured in Internet Retailing eDelivery.