From 2020, Wehkamp will replace its coral-red packaging for a more sustainable variant. The new packaging is made up entirely of recycled material and should deliver CO2 savings of 64 per cent.
The online retailer sends 11 million parcels every year, of which about 70 per cent are packed in plastic bags. Wehkamp says it deliberately chooses to ship in bags because they contain less air than boxes, allowing delivery vans to be loaded more efficiently.
Neutral packaging
However, the retailer is now opting for a more sustainable shipping bag. The new packaging is made of recycled material and has a neutral look with minimal colour pigments. As a result, Wehkamp says it is reducing CO2 emissions by 64 per cent.
The cardboard boxes Wehkamp uses are also getting a new look; from coral red to basic cardboard. As less ink is used, the packaging has less impact on the environment.
Climate-neutral operation
"In recent years, we have already taken many steps in making our packaging more sustainable," says Maarten Tibosch, COO at Wehkamp. "For example, cardboard boxes have been cut to size since 2015 and we use padding material in less than 1 per cent of our packages. Where possible, Wehkamp no longer uses packaging at all, such as when shipping hoovers or refrigerators. With these changes, we will succeed in our ambition to use only packaging made of 100 per cent recycled material or reusable material by 2020. We will therefore soon start a pilot with reusable packaging. In addition, Wehkamp aims to be completely climate neutral by 2025. "
