Pack less air with Active Ants e-fulfilment

No, e-commerce stores don't sell air. But why do they pack so much air? The web shops in the Netherlands send more than one million packages every day. Active Ants contributes to this with tens of thousands of packages shipped each day. Unfortunately, in addition to their goods, online stores in the Netherlands also send a lot of air.  The boxes are often a lot bigger than the item they are supposed to protect. And that has its disadvantages:

• Parcel carriers have to drive up and down more often, because fewer boxes fit in their buses.
• The packages must be padded with extra material to protect the goods and are vulnerable if this is not done properly.
• Consumers are left with a heap of unnecessary waste as a result.
• Shipments become more expensive because more material is required and delivery drivers have to drive more often.

Making e-fulfilment more sustainable

Active Ants is committed to contribute to the sustainability of web shop logistics and the fulfilment sector together with our webshop partners. We do this under the name 'Active Green'. In this context, we are working hard to make our fulfilment centres and the e-fulfilment process more sustainable and automated. By doing so, we reduce our ecological footprint and make our processes more efficient.

Less packaging, less air

For example, we have special automatic packing machines in use. These machines cut and fold the boxes to size per item to be shipped. This allows us to pack up to 40% less air and also eliminates the need for padding material. This reduces unnecessary waste and ensures that more of our packages can be transported at once. Therefore less delivery vans are needed.

One of the ways we are trying to contribute to a greener future within e-fulfilment, is to make package delivery more sustainable

• Our way of packing ensures that we pack 40% less air. 
• In addition, we print our shipping labels directly on the box, saving about 8 million labels per year in paper. 
• We are also working with our customers on the transition to digital packing slips. This will save the fulfillment process a lot of A4's of packing slips.
• The paper and cardboard we do use are FSC certified.

Continuous development and environmental improvement

The ongoing development of a greener e-fulfilment process remains an important spearhead for our business operations. So we continue to look for improvements in our own process, but also for greening and sustainability of the shipping process and that of the entire chain. Here you can think of:

• Making our own e-fulfilment processes, the shipping processes and the entire chain CO2 neutral.
• Reducing the use of paper and cardboard even further. Digitalization where possible and looking for greener packaging options.
• Automation where possible to make our e-fulfilment processes, but also those of the chain, faster and more efficient.

Join the transition to sustainable e-fulfillment

Is a sustainable logistics and shipping process also important for your webshop? Then contact us and discover the sustainable e-fulfilment options Active Ants has to offer you. Or do you have good ideas to make the fulfilment process and chain even greener? Be sure to let us know. We are always open to good ideas.