When environmentally friendly customers place an order in an online shop, they want to retain as much an ecological footprint as possible at the time of purchase. In addition to packaging, environmental factors such as transportation routes also play an important role. Therefore, companies that integrate sustainability into their business models have better opportunities in the market. In this article, as an online retailer, we’ll show you how to send your goods in a climate-neutral way.

Road to a climate-neutral online shop 

To send goods in a climate-neutral way, businesses need to reduceCO2 emissions throughout their value chain. To do this, you first need to record and calculate the actual emissions. This includes emissions such as: 

• occurs in the company itself, 
• occurs during storage, packaging, and shipping, or cool (GHG) and special ISO standards. The purpose of climate-neutral online transactions is
• is related to  IT infrastructure. 

The calculation method is standardised and is based on the Greenhouse Gas Prot to identify potential savings and sustainably reduce CO2 emissions. Supporting climate protection projects in developing countries is seen by customers as an effective compensation for unsaved emissions but at the risk of greenwashing. Changes can be made in areas such as logistics and transportation, electricity and heating, vehicle fleet, and travel to sustainably reduce the company’s carbon dioxide emissions. 

Climate-neutral transportation thanks to sustainable logistics and transportation 

Online retailers rely on packaging to safely transport their goods to their customers. We can provide climate-neutral transportation to give you a competitive advantage. For example, ratio form is working with logistics partner GLS, which has been delivering all parcels in CO2-neutral since October 2019. 

Sustainable packaging materials can also be used to earn points for customers and climate protection. The ratio foam green packaging solution made of glass paper is characterised by a good ecological balance and therefore protects the environment. In addition, we have established a sustainable supply chain with ratio forms. Certified by CSR expert EcoVadis since 2016, we pursue the goals of all suppliers that contribute to climate-neutral trade. The benefits for business partners are: 

• Energy and material cost efficiency, 
• Image enhancement and protection against reputational damage, 
• Employee motivation with good working conditions  
• Strengthening innovation capacity.

Sustainability of electricity, heat, and insulation 

About 30% of CO2 emissions come from buildings. Enterprises have several options to reduce them. One of them is the switch to green power. In the best scenario, energy suppliers would have promised not only to buy green electricity from abroad but also to invest in renewable energy expansion. In addition, it can generate its energy from renewable energy sources on its way to climate-neutral transport. For example, through a suitable surface photovoltaic system or solar heat or heat pump for heat recovery. 

CO2 emissions can also be reduced by using the latest insulation and energy-efficient devices in the building. A corresponding code of conduct helps employees use their devices and systems in ways that save energy. 

In addition, optimised IT and hosting infrastructure and a CO2-neutral website contributes to climate protection. With ratio forms, emissions generated in the digital enterprise area are offset by investments in renewable energy. 

Climate-neutral vehicles and eco-friendly transportation 

The third area that can contribute to climate-neutral transportation is related to transportation. Here, we recommend the following operations. 

• Equip the fleet with energy-efficient vehicles and e-cars. 
• For domestic business trips, we recommend using the train instead of the plane. Here, CO2 emissions are significantly reduced. 
• Create alternative mobility offers to employees through public transport and bicycle subsidies. 

Climate-neutral transportation is not possible without packaging.

Many people are wrong about the actual contribution of packaging to CO2 emissions. We want to shed some light on this aspect with ratio form. A current study by the Packaging Market Research Association on the benefits of packaging makes this clear. If only 900 laptops are damaged when shipped unpackaged, the resulting atmospheric emissions will be higher than for all 900 packages. On the other hand, the bag corresponds to the CO2 emissions of package consumption for 5 years; therefore, the package has become an integral part of “climate-neutral transport”. Buy the product that suits your needs online.