Problem Solvers




Shipping — How You Can Lower Your Carbon Footprint


UPS and Fedex will Ship Multiple Items, Saving You Money

Copyright © Kathryn Thompson; All rights reserved; content may not be copied, rewritten, or republished without author’s written permission. Posted July 19, 2012

A UPS package delivery van

 

So, let’s be honest — shipping is never going to be the most eco-friendly thing you can do, but you can work towards lowering your carbon footprint when shipping all kinds of items, whether personal or business related.

More and more people, and more importantly, businesses, have decided to do their bit for the planet and go green. If you need a helping hand, check out our top tips for green shipping.

Keep Your Feet on the Ground

Ground shipping uses less fuel than shipping by air; sending your parcels via ground shipping will only take a few days longer but you’ll be doing your bit!

Choose wisely; if you need to ship an item, choose a shipping company carefully. There are plenty of companies that are now putting a lot of emphasis on reducing their carbon footprint and in turn, reducing yours.

These companies have looked into thousands of options for you, including fuel options and often ship items using hybrid vehicles. Not only that, but they have worked out fuel efficient routes as well as green practices and technology.

For example, when some parcel delivery companies plot their daily delivery routes, they use computer software to ensure that the vans maximize the number of right-hand turns rather than left ones.

Why? Because turning right on a red light is legal, reducing time idling at red lights. This results not only in less gasoline consumption, but time efficiency as well.

Ship Multiple Items when Possible

Whenever possible, ship items together in one box. Reducing the amount of parcels you send will considerably reduce your emissions as well as packaging waste and not to mention, costs. This also works for purchasing too — why not buy items in bulk? This will stop a company having to send you multiple packages.

Buying in bulk often saves money; for example, stores like Sam’s Club reward customers with lower prices in return for moving more inventory. Face it, there are more ways to spend less than simply saving money on utility bills.

Pack Well

Have a think about your packaging materials — where possible, reuse! This will cut down on waste and costs. Do your items require protection inside the parcel?

If not, fill the parcel to ensure items fit snuggly; this will stop them from roaming around inside their box and you won’t have to fill extra space with protective material. Did you know that styrofoam peanuts take 50 years to biodegrade?

If you are looking for a courier, head on over to the uShip website; as one of the top shipping aggregators they can help you choose the right company for you.

Articles Others are Reading

Add a Comment:

HTML Comment Box is loading comments...

Website © 2012 ; All rights reserved; content may not be copied, rewritten, or republished without author’s written permission; Webmaster’s Google profile