Go Green with "on-root"

At Enroute, we care about the environment and we aim to provide your company with the information it needs to maintain sustainability. We believe that “green equals green.” By monitoring how you ship packages, you will be able to make better shipping decisions that will save your company money and help our planet simultaneously. Visit us often to get the latest tips and tricks on going green!

Tips on Packaging and Shipping Green

PACKAGING

• Reuse shipping materials. Buy boxes that are made from recycled fibers or from fibers sourced from managed forests.
• Use the smallest box that fits your needs. Besides using fewer resources for the box itself, this also reduces the amount of materials required to protect the cargo.
• If you cannot remove old tape or labels from a box, turn it inside out. Break open the bottom seam and the side seam, which you can see inside the box. Refold the box inside out and secure the seams with packing tape.
• Do not use fabric for padding—it is heavier than other packaging material and can add significant weight to your package. Shred damaged or over-reused wrapping paper for festive packing material or reuse bubble wrap, packing peanuts, tissue paper, boxes, crumbled newspaper or magazine pages.
• To safely nestle smaller gifts, use plain popcorn—the recipient can compost it, or feed it to the birds!
• Resist plastic packaging. Bubble wrap and other plastic packaging are derived from petroleum. Although they are technically recyclable, not all municipalities accept this type of plastic. Many municipalities only recycle plastic bottles.
• Try biodegradable packing peanuts, which easily dissolve when exposed to water and leave no chemical residue. They can be reused or composted.
• Traditional peanuts are made of polystyrene, a petroleum-derived material that is not biodegradable. Using peanuts is not ideal, but fortunately, this seemingly eternal plastic can be reused. (Note: Clean, unwanted polystyrene peanuts are accepted at 1,500 packaging stores around the US. Call the Plastic Loosefill Council’s Peanut Hotline at 1-800-828-2214 for the names of local businesses that accept them.)

SHIPPING

• Prepare your packages early enough so that you can ship via ground rather than air. Ground shipping is more efficient than airfreight.
• Operator selection: Choose a shipping company that operates in an environmentally preferable way. FedEx operates a fleet of 93 hybrid trucks in 12 cities, while UPS has purchased 50 hybrid-electric trucks.
• Carbon offsets: Many retailers now offer carbon offsets. Unfortunately, if the retailer does not have this option, there is no carbon calculator for individuals to estimate the carbon created from the shipment.

 

UPS Sustainability Report 2008
FedEx: Sustaining Growth
Ontrac & the Environment

GREEN FUN FACTS

Postage stamps are printed using water-based inks made from soybeans and contain no lead.

In 2008, more than $12 million in revenue was generated by selling recyclables as raw materials, diverting tons of wastepaper, cardboard, cans, plastics and other materials from landfills.

A fourth of all wood in landfills is from used pallets. To combat this shipping waste, EcoDuro makes a pallet out of corrugated cardboard and recycled paper.