Sustainability in e-commerce: Talking to each other – learning from each other

Fast delivery and low CO₂ emissions: Marketplaces, retailers and logistics companies worldwide are developing sustainable shipping concepts for last mile delivery.

The most exciting ones will be presented by Seven Senders, Styla and Tradebyte 2021 at the second edition of the joint event “Sustainability in E-Commerce“.

According to the German Parcel and Express Logistics Association (BIEK), a total of 4.4 billion shipments per year are to be sent and delivered by 2023. By comparison: in 2019, there were still 3.65 billion courier, express and parcel shipments, 20 percent fewer than expected in 2023. At Christmas 2020, in times of the Corona pandemic, the parcel industry expects 420 million shipments.

All this will have an impact on traffic, travel times and fuel consumption, and thus also on CO₂ emissions. At the same time, 66 percent of the participants surveyed in DPD’s E-Shopper Barometer 2019 now prefer brands and retailers who live up to their responsibility when shopping online. Environmentally conscious online shoppers, therefore, represent the largest group of buyers in online retailing.

More shipments – more CO₂ emissions?

The reverse is true: Despite the sharp rise in the number of online purchases and shipments, especially in the current corona pandemic, sustainable concepts for last mile delivery need to be developed and discussed. “

We have already identified sustainable carriers and services in several countries where we operate, which we offer to our customers on demand,” explains Dr. Johannes Plehn, founder and Co-CEO of Seven Senders and co-host of the event “Sustainability in E-Commerce”.

“And what is surprising for many is that they are not, as it is often thought, automatically the more expensive alternative. Currently, Seven Senders, the leading delivery platform for parcel shipping, cooperates with carriers who, for example, use electric vehicles, cargo bikes or similar sustainable means of transport to travel the last mile or avoid multiple trips by delivering to packing stations.

“We are looking forward to new ideas from our partners, for example, to optimize delivery times and methods in order to reduce the footprint,” Plehn continues. One thing is already clear: “In the future, concepts will play an increasingly important role that make more efficient use of existing capacities in urban areas with a view to sustainable delivery on the last mile.”

Do corona and sustainability go together? 

Has Corona influenced the issue of sustainability in e-commerce? 

What impression did the 2019 premiere event leave and what progress, new goals or ideas have been initiated since then in the area of sustainability? These are the questions we asked participants and partners of the first event.

“I think Corona has stirred up everyone very much, be it in sales figures, working conditions or newly set goals,” explains Stephan Sommerlik, Chief Operating Officer (COO) GoJungo, a partner company of Tradebyte.

“The focus on sustainability has not been lost on us, and we believe that with a short break, many continue to have the goal of acting more sustainably. Especially now, after the sharp downturn in the stationary retail sector, many want to focus on the platforms and sustainability, especially the certified one, will continue to be a USP”.

The Danish-German startup company GoJungo takes over the complex and time-consuming processes involved in selling products on marketplaces such as Otto.de, Otto.market, and many more, especially for small and medium-sized fashion brands, with whom the company works together on the topic of sustainability.

“This year we talked and discussed sustainability in marketplace business with Otto. As a Preferred Partner of Otto.market, we follow developments in this area very closely and are pleased that Otto is taking the consistent path of only marking products as sustainable if they are sustainable according to their specifications.

“In addition, together with our parent company, we have been able to support partners in improving their sustainability performance and look forward to many more partners who want to join us on the more sustainable path in the platform business.”

Looking back, the COO praises the 2019 premiere event: “I thought it was an excellent event, it reflected the focus we all have and which is currently one of the most important issues in our society. All parties were represented. From platforms, service providers, and customers, there were great insights. In addition to that, the great setting and the perfect organization. All this impressed me very much.” 

Vanessa Platz, Director E-Commerce at Marc O’Polo and partner of Tradebyte, agrees: “The organized evening on the topic of sustainability in e-commerce was very exciting and above all enriching. From discussions about alternative shipping partners to stationary customer surveys on ‘sustainability’ and the importance of labeling sustainable products on trading platforms – we had many different and important topics of conversation. I was particularly pleased that all participants and speakers reported very openly about what they are driving forward in their company with regard to sustainability.

Whether 2019 or 2021: “The crucial thing is that we are all working on and talking about this very important topic so that we can learn from each other and together make a difference in our industry,” concludes the fashion brand’s head of online retail.

Conclusion

Sustainability is an important topic for all those involved in e-commerce. Together with partners Styla and Tradebyte, the Seven Senders team is looking forward to fresh ideas for the second edition of the event with the latest information on “Sustainability in E-Commerce” in the coming year.