How to Make an Online Business more Eco-Friendly?

People have started to feel concerned about the planet and the environment. Many businesses have also started using eco-friendly techniques to make the business more sustainable. There are many ways to create an environmentally friendly business. In this article, we will read various tips and tricks that you can use to make your business more sustainable.

Many customers prefer sustainable places and orders from websites that use eco-friendly techniques. E-commerce has grown tremendously over the last decade and continues to grow. So, every online business must follow sustainable ways to save the environment. Let us now discuss how to make your business more eco-friendly.

How to make your business more environmentally friendly?

Want to know how to make your business eco-friendly? Read the steps mentioned below

1. Use biodegradable plastic

Plastic is one of the deadliest items to use in the packaging of your online products. Plastic takes years to burn out and pollute our environment. There are so many alternatives that you can use instead of plastic for your business. You can use biodegradable plastics because they can be easily broken down into smaller pieces in sunlight.

Biodegradable plastics are made up of plant by-products and not petroleum. It is expensive compared to normal plastics, and that is why many small businesses use ordinary plastic for their business. Biodegradable plastic might not be cost-effective, but it will contribute to saving the environment.

2. Reusable paper and envelopes

Every online business requires papers and envelopes to prepare products for transit. You can use reusable papers and envelopes for your packaging. It is one of the best ways to make your online business sustainable and more eco-friendly. Paper and cardboards are the most common packaging materials used in the business, and they are already recyclable.

However, some suppliers create large boxes with extra space inside them after you put the product in. It wastes both space and material. It also increases the cost of your online business. So, you can create thinner and smaller boxes as per your product's requirements to save both money and paper. Or, if the product is small, consider sending it in a reusable envelope instead of a box.

3. Reduce waste

Wastes are often overlooked by many businesses. However, you must reduce the waste and store it in a storeroom or at a convenient place. An online business is a hectic task, and waste is often neglected. Employees can waste a lot of paper and water in the process. You can place bins in your office for waste. You can specifically label them as 'recycle waste.' It will help to reduce and recycle waste.

4. Use biodegradable packing peanuts

Packing peanuts makes shipping and receiving a better experience. Starch-based packing peanuts are light in weight and can be easily dissolved in the water. It is one step forward to an eco-friendly business. The traditional packing peanuts are made up of Styrofoam, and it can take more than 500 years to biodegrade. However, starch-based packing peanuts can be degraded within minutes.

Many online companies and businesses use packing peanuts to ship the products and make them look more appetising. So, consider using starch-based packing peanuts instead of the traditional ones.

5. Use natural fabrics

The next tip is to use natural fabrics for your online business. There are so many items and products that don't require large boxes for packaging or items that don't need protection. Instead of packaging two to three times for a product that is not fragile, you can wrap it in natural fabrics like cotton or burlap to protect the item.

Using natural fabrics for your online business will help you save money. You can also purchase boxes made up of natural fabrics. It will be more cost-effective and save the environment.

6. Use less paper

Online businesses need papers for invoices, receipts, and day-to-day tracking of the order. One of the best ways to make your online business sustainable, you can automate the majority of the shipping process. You can use machines to print invoices on paper as required or can type out 2-3 invoices on a single paper.

Other than that, you can use various automated applications to track the order shipment, placements, delivery and avoid the use of paper. It will not only help save paper, but also the environmental surroundings.

7. Purchase sustainable equipment

Every business, online or offline, requires some tools and equipment for the business. In online businesses, the process from shipment to delivery requires a lot of steps. These steps further require tools and equipment to make fast deliveries. While choosing equipment, you can research the tools that are energy efficient. There are many energy-efficient tools and equipment that help you save energy for your environment.

Conclusion

At last, we can say that online businesses can be sustainable if you use environmentally friendly techniques. You can use various techniques to make your business eco-friendly. If you want to make your business more sustainable, you can read the tips and techniques mentioned in the article for online businesses.

Also read:

1) How to Make Online Business More Eco-Friendly?
2) Do You Consider Yourself to be Eco-Friendly? Let’s Check!
3) How to Build an Eco-Friendly House?
4) How Would You Set Up An Eco-Friendly Home Office?
5) OkCredit: Simple, Paperless & Secure solution for businesses

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FAQs

Q. What are the eco-friendly ways of packaging?

Ans. There are many ways to make your packaging more sustainable. You can use cornstarch-based material for your packaging or mushroom packaging for your products. Some of the other eco-friendly ways are listed as follows:

• Use eco-friendly and recycled plastic for packaging.
• Use carton water or paper water bottles for your business. It is made up of recycled cardboard and newspapers.
• If you have a food business, you can use disposable leaf plates. Leaf plates are made up of biodegradable material.
• Instead of using bubble wraps made of polystyrene, you can use air pillows made of recycled materials.
• Use single strip cardboard packaging to reduce the waste materials.

Q. What is the most sustainable food packaging?

Ans. The most sustainable food packaging is plant-based food packaging. There are many plant-based packaging available in the market. You can choose the right size, shape, and space as per your business requirements. While selecting the packaging, look at the labels and content written at the bottom. The best packaging will be composite. Composite materials break down into smaller pieces and don't harm society or the environment.

Q. What are the best eco-friendly businesses that I can start?

Ans. There are many eco-friendly businesses that you can start. Some business ideas are as follows:

• Set your own organic store
• Start a recycling business
• Make clothes from plastic
• Upcycle furniture and sell it
• Sell used books, or open a second-hand bookstore
• Produce biofuels obtained from plant and animal waste
• Refurbish the electronic items and sell them
• Energy auditing
• Sell eco-friendly toys
• Start a solar panel business