Zalando launches test of reusable packaging
Online fashion retailer Zalando has launched a pilot scheme to test reusable packaging for the delivery of customer orders.
Lasting four weeks, the trial will see 10,000 customers in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark receiving their orders in reusable shipping bags.
Zalando said the scheme will test the extent to which reusable packaging can be integrated into existing logistics processes.
As part of the pilot, customers are required to return the packaging to Zalando even if they keep their shopping items. The cycle works by customers folding up the packaging envelope, attaching a return label to it and putting it in a postbox. The bag then goes back to a central location and is taken to a fulfilment centre.
Uwe Streiber, team warehouse consumables at Zalando, said: “To make the concept of reusable packaging scalable, the entire ecommerce industry is needed. It requires standardised processes and centralised delivery options for reusable packaging. Reusable packaging transforms material from waste to resource. A uniform system in which customers can return the packaging, for example to the supermarket, would make it easier for everyone.”
Zalando is using a shipping bag from Finnish startup RePack for the test.
