The latter part of 2017 was characterized by robust growth in the e-commerce sector, with many stores offering holiday discounts from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. Statistics obtained during this period indicate that consumers in the US alone spent more than 19.62 billion dollars within the five-day shopping period. This marked a 15 percent increase (equivalent to 2.6 billion dollars) compared to the same period in 2016.
A survey conducted during this period showed that more than 64 million Americans participated in the shopping frenzy. Out of this number, 58 million shoppers chose to shop online as opposed to physical stores. With such a high number of people shopping online, what does this mean for effective sustainability efforts, given all the shipping that had to be done during this period alone?
Traditionally, sustainability has always been applied by ascertaining that operations don’t have a negative environmental impact. Nevertheless, in a bid to achieve sustainability, many actions have revolved around reducing instead of eliminating factors associated with environmental concerns. As an alternative, a viable solution in the transport sector ought to focus on enhancing the individual movements of goods in a bid to make transportation more efficient. Given that shippers may not be in a position to control the manner in which products are shipped from one location to another, there is a need to take a look at how sustainability can lower the carbon footprint left behind by firms.
Reduction of Emissions
Reducing emissions should take priority as transportation involves the shipment of goods from location to location. Today, many vehicles are running on fossil fuels, but the implementation of a green solution in the fleet can assist in making a difference in the carbon footprints left behind by the shippers. Transportation experts need to take measures to reduce the total number of miles that are traveled in a bid to reduce the emissions to the environment.
Enhancing Customer Awareness
The modern consumer is very conscious of the products they buy, as well as the packaging it arrives in. Consumers don’t want excess packaging, and they want the product packed with recyclable materials. Social media advancement has made it easier to share information on company operations, making it important to maintain a proper image by ensuring that you are honest and you play an active role in helping achieve a future that is more sustainable. Failure to be transparent has led to numerous businesses facing a backlash from their clients. The clientele wants to know whether the people they are buying from actually care about the environment and is they are taking measures to enhance environmental sustainability.
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