The Benefits of Green Shipping

“It’s not easy being green,” goes an old adage. When it comes to UPS^® shipping for your small business, however, we’re going to have to disagree. At least as far as environmental friendliness goes!

For a few years now, it’s been very trendy to talk about “going green,” especially in the logistics industry. For a green-focused company like UPS^® — the Worldwide Express’s small package shipping partner — there’s there’s nothing fleeting or trendy about a commitment to protecting the environment. That’s why WWEX has taken the extra step to become an EPA SmartWay Registered Partner.

Shipping with us should be an easy decision. At the same time, you can incorporate some best practices into your shipping processes that will make things a little easier on the planet and your bottom line.

Let’s look at a few ways you can get your green going!

Tips to adopt eco-friendly shipping for your business

Use eco-friendly packaging like a pro

Whenever you are preparing a shipment, take a few extra moments to be more thoughtful with your packaging. Avoid using a larger box than necessary, which not only saves money on your shipping rates, but also uses fewer resources. Even better, use sustainable packaging, which is often cheaper, such as using bubble wrap or recycled packing paper versus Styrofoam.

Beyond the obvious environmental friendliness aspect of sustainable packing materials, this effort will also resonate with many of your consumers and can strengthen the purpose of your brand in their eyes.

Consider consolidating your shipments

Many businesses have regular shipments that go to the same recipient on a frequent basis. To save yourself some money on fuel and other small package fees, and to cut down on carbon emissions, consider working with your Worldwide Express shipping expert to consolidate your smaller groups of packages into larger groupings. You can then choose from UPS’s pickup options that help ensure drivers arrive only when you have shipments ready, versus having unnecessary stops on your non-shipping days.

Push “pause” on paper

Piles of paper around the office are old-fashioned, inefficient, and just bad from an environmental perspective. Consider switching to an all-electronic filing system to cut down on paper use and clutter. Organizing your documents electronically has the added bonus of making searching for information on your past shipments easier and less time-consuming!

Check out carbon neutral shipping

UPS offers a carbon neutral shipping option for your small business, which you can select while you are preparing your shipment, that helps your business show its commitment to sustainability while also reducing your carbon footprint.

How our small package shipping partner, UPS, is using green shipping

If you’re constantly looking for ways to ship greener, you’re not alone. Our small package partner, UPS, has developed a well-deserved reputation for its efforts to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and has been at the forefront of logistics industry green initiatives by implementing innovative new ways to save energy, cut down on emissions, and reduce waste. Here are a few ways UPS walks the (green) walk:

• UPS operates tens of thousands of low-emission and alternative-fuel vehicles, including hybrid electric and compressed natural gas (CNG) delivery vehicles. UPS also has added hydraulic hybrid vehicles (HHVs) to its fleet, which are much more efficient and produce lower emissions than traditional, diesel-powered vehicles.
• UPS drivers save thousands of gallons of fuel every year through careful delivery route planning and the avoidance of idling and left turns whenever possible. In addition, each UPS driver carries an electronic Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD), which saves tens of millions of sheets of paper each year.
• In recent years, the company’s air fleet has added winglets to many of its jets. These small, arrow-shaped devices attached to wingtips save fuel by reducing drag and improving the aircraft’s takeoff performance. UPS estimates that this single modification saves more than six million gallons of fuel each year and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by tens of thousands of metric tons.

As you can see, between UPS’s efforts and what you can do yourself, it really is easy being green. Making a little extra effort to go green with your small business’s shipping choices isn’t just good for the environment (and your conscience), but can also put a bit more “green” in your pocket!

See how the Worldwide Express and UPS partnership can make your business shipping eco-friendly.