National Earth Day 2022: Sustainable Business Practices from Business Owners
In celebration of National Earth Day, we spoke with a handful of online business owners who have successfully implemented sustainable practices within their businesses. Learn from the tips, experience, and encouragement on going green in business from these eco-minded entrepreneurs.
How does Shameless Pets practice sustainable shipping processes?
We know that shipping items can be harmful to the planet, and though we can’t change the entire system, we want to do what we can to help offset some of these environmental costs.
Just recently, we started working with Neutrl, an ecommerce plugin that offers carbon-neutral shipping as an option for our consumers. Not only does the amount they pay (only 1-2%) fund carbon removal technologies, but just having this feature on our site is a great education piece for our consumers!
What piece of advice would you share with a business owner looking to go green?
It may seem daunting at first as we have so much to do to better our planet, but my advice is to follow the crawl/walk/run model. This way you can choose a few things that matter to you and really execute against them to make an impact. Once you’re able to conquer those then move on to the next challenge!
Do you think sustainable practices will only become increasingly important in the world of ecommerce?
It’s becoming more and more important and a topic that our customers talk with us about daily. They want to better understand not only what we’re working but why we’re doing the work as well. They’re looking for transparency and real conversations around this subject as they want to support businesses that are trying to do better for the planet.
You can support Shameless Pets by shopping their website or following along on Instagram.
How does Tsuno practice sustainable shipping processes?
It’s a tricky part of the business to be truly sustainable in, but the approach we have at Tsuno is with what we can control. We do not use any unnecessary plastic in our shipping materials. When we do have some we can’t avoid, like pallet wrap that comes on some deliveries, we take it to a local recycler. We use water activated paper tape, it’s way more fiddly than traditional plastic tape but makes us feel good on the inside!
We recycle boxes wherever possible-we use a little sticker on the reused boxes saying ‘Mind the Reuse’ which customers have given positive feedback on. We don’t ship smaller orders internationally, and instead rely on local distributors to make products available to customers in certain regions at an affordable price. Our packaging filler, if needed, is scrunched up pieces of paper from the backs of the shipping label sheets. We also donate all our larger used boxes to people in our local community group for home moving purposes, giving them another life before being recycled. So, buying from Tsuno online may not be the most gorgeous unboxing experience, but at least you can know nothing is being wasted.
What piece of advice would you share with a business owner looking to go green?
Communicate any changes you want to make with your customers and tell them why. It may mean you don’t have a fancy branded plastic satchel, but if they understand why you’ve made that decision, I think they will appreciate your brand more.
Do you think sustainable practices will only become increasingly important in the world of ecommerce?
Yes, definitely! I can’t wait for the day that our postal services stop pushing people to use single use plastic and start a system of re-use. I’ve seen some great businesses introducing reusable satchels overseas, and am excited for these things to become more structured and accessible in the current system.
You can support Tsuno by shopping their website or following along on Instagram.
