CHINA. Alibaba Group logistics arm Cainiao Network generated 53,000 tonnes of carbon reduction and 1.8 billion eco-friendly actions from its supply chain management, merchants, and consumers around this year’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival.
Logistics data from Cainiao indicated that recycling has been a favoured social norm this year, compelling 30 million people to view their personal ‘carbon account’ online and more than 4.8 million to participate in a packaging recycling initiative.
Cainiao noted that global ecommerce revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.53% until 2025. The company continues to urge individuals and business to reduce parcel packaging waste and drive a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour.
“The success of the green initiatives indicates strong willingness from consumers and merchants to shift towards sustainable ecommerce,” the company said.
This 11.11, over 90 million items of ‘green packaging’ were sent out from Cainiao warehouses. They included shipments in original boxes as well as plastic-free zipper boxes and biodegradable and recycled packaging. This, Cainiao pointed out, saved the use of 84 million metres of plastic tape.
In addition, via partnership with merchants to deliver full-chain green logistics from warehousing to dispatch, Cainiao was able to utilise clean energy to generate electricity in six Cainiao logistics parks in China, with a total power generation capacity reaching 87,000 kilowatt hours.
From 1 to 14 November, 1.6 billion parcels were affixed with electronic shipping labels, saving an equivalent of 3,700sq m of forest area.
Within the broader community, Cainiao set up 87,000 package collection and recycling stations at Cainiao Post stations across 300 cities in China to foster eco-friendly consumer behaviour by providing easy access to parcel package reusing.
Each cardboard box recycled in these post stations was quantified to have reduced carbon emissions by 37 grams. Cainiao partnered Tmall Supermarket in this green packaging initiative, and recorded over 70% of re-used packaging during this period.
To further incentivise consumers, Cainiao also launched a nationwide campaign offering an egg as a reward for every parcel packaging recycled – on average, more than 200 eggs were redeemed every minute. The initiative attracted more than 4.8 million participants.
Cainiao Network Head of Green Initiatives Wang Haosu said: “This year, we have harnessed the combined efforts of our merchant and consumer communities to create a ripple effect for our green initiatives, delivering a much wider impact than we could have otherwise achieved as an individual organisation.
“This demonstrates our continued commitment to foster a greener ecosystem and to encourage sustainable consumption behaviors and business practices.”