Up to 250 million packages will be shipped in the UK following online purchases made between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Analysis from Sourceful suggests that these packages will contain around 11,300 tonnes of cardboard, paper and plastics.
If all this cardboard was flat packed and stacked on top of each other, it would be three times the height of The Shard. The number of mailer bags used could fill 99 Olympic sized swimming pools and the amount of parcel tape expected to be used could wrap around the equator twice.
The positive news is that Sourceful estimates that around 74% of the cardboard used this Black Friday – around 4,809 tonnes – is expected to be recycled. The remaining 26% or 1,684 tonnes of cardboard will go to landfill or incineration. Most cardboard packaging is recyclable and better design could reduce the amount of material needed and help to increase recycling rates.
Wing Chan, co-founder, Sourceful says, “Our technology and tools are here to help businesses make better packaging choices and make it easier for their customers to re-use and recycle. We know that consumers want eco-friendly packaging and for the most part brands are trying to respond. We have a tool on our website that enables businesses to understand the environmental footprint of each item of packaging and see alternative options. Through better material choices and smarter design, we can improve recycling rates further still.”
Consumers are increasingly demanding eco-friendly packaging options, with 79% looking for products in sustainable packaging. Retailers and e-commerce brands have been steadily shifting to more eco-friendly packaging in response. Sourceful’s range of packaging is made up of over 91% recyclable materials and includes paper based tapes and recyclable LDPE mailer bags.
