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E-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart have transformed the way Indians shop for a variety of products ranging from groceries, books, garments and footwear, appliances and even durables. While these platforms have brought the convenience of shopping into the homes of consumers, they have also brought in large amount of packaging materials, much of which are not easily recyclable and are discarded along with the household garbage. Often e-commerce companies’ delivery partners over-package products — items are wrapped in polythene films or bags and packed in oversized cartons together with sealed air as fillers. The relatively fragile items come wrapped in multiple layers of air bubble films and the appliances with metres of cling film wrapping over the packaging of the manufacturer. Individual items of readymade garments often come in separate courier bags, even when they have been ordered together.
The e-commerce companies and their delivery arms would need to employ a little more intelligence and more efficient logistics for packaging and delivering orders. Using smaller cardboard cartons when shipping fewer number of items will reduce the need for fillers such as sealed air. Aggregating items bought from different vendors on its platform by an individual customer to deliver as a single packet, rather than as multiple packages, will reduce the amount of packaging that a household has to dispose of. The flip side of such as a move would be that customers, including the premium ones, may not be able to get delivery within 24 hours of placing an order.
These companies could consider putting in place a mechanism to pick up packaging materials from customers and work with enterprises engaged in recycling used materials for the purpose. Customers could also be given the option to choose minimal packaging and they could be rewarded for exercising that choice with shopping points or discounts. Many items such as groceries and several manufacturer-packaged items can be delivered in open boxes and baskets that can be taken back immediately on delivery. A tamper-proof seal on the original package of such items suffices in most instances.
Senior Deputy Editor
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