Shipping green and guilt-free?
December 16th, 2009 | Posted by Pamela Fiehn
Photo credit: crazytales562 on Flickr
Last week, I wrapped up all my holiday gifts for my out-of-state family, stuffed them in boxes and schlepped them to the post office, all the way thinking, “This is not very green of me.”
Too bad I hadn’t heard about UPS’s carbon neutral shipping option, which allows customers to offset the emissions associated with shipping for a fee. Apparently DHL is rolling out a similar program, though it’s only available in Europe at the moment.
I like this strategy for so many reasons. First, it’s a way for these companies to take a step toward integrating sustainability into their core business, rather than just tack it on as an afterthought. Also, the program makes the environmental impact of shipping more visible to their customers, and provides their customers with an easy way to make their own businesses more sustainable.
Unfortunately, there’s one aspect of UPS’s program that’s missing for me. I was hoping they would make it easy for customers to see the associated carbon footprint for each package. But this type of carbon analysis service is only available to their high-volume customers. Providing all customers with the environmental cost of shipping a package could drive increased awareness of the issue. Pairing the carbon footprint numbers with some simple tips, like using smaller boxes when possible, UPS can extend their influence even further, by helping smaller businesses and individuals do better for the planet.