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Etsy, the global marketplace of handmade goods, has joined the ranks of brands making their mission known to become a net-zero brand. With a firm goal set for 2030, the company has rolled out a list of sustainable initiatives that they’re taking to get there. In 2021, the company announced the brand’s new decision to offer its sellers ‘planet -friendly’ packaging. Made from recycled materials that are meant to be recycled, the eco-friendly packaging option will lessen their use of plastic-based materials. And, less plastic means fewer fossil fuels and a chance for an independent small brand and its larger marketplace to both lower their CO2 emissions.
Why Packaging?
Packaging not only plays a big role in land pollution through waste, but also through air pollution with CO2 emissions from the way that we dispose of plastic. In the U.S alone, it’s estimated that our reliance on incinerators to dispose of single-use plastics emits 5.9 million tons of CO2.
Worried About Plastic Pollution? Here’s How You Can Help Clean Up Our Oceans
Yet, CO2 emissions are only one side of the plastic pollution story. Another side is what happens to the plastic waste that isn’t incinerated. Most of the plastic we create ends up in landfills or runs off into our oceans. It’s estimated that the 8 million tons of plastic trash that are dumped into our oceans yearly will soon outnumber fish. And, a lot of that trash comes from packaging. This type of plastic waste is known as single-use plastic. Once it serves its purpose it’s thrown into the trash. If you look at the numbers, plastic waste has a detrimental impact on our environment.
- 300 Million tons of plastic waste is produced yearly.
- 60% of that plastic ends up in landfills or nature.
- 10 Rivers carry 90% of the plastic waste into our oceans more than any other rivers.
- Plastic waste can take centuries to decompose.
How Does Etsy’s Planet-Friendly Packaging Work?
The planet-friendly packaging is made available to U.S sellers. They have the option to choose from recycled or responsibly sourced paper packaging. Being mindful of costs associated with starting a small business, Etsy aims to keep the eco packaging options economically priced so that sellers (both large and small) can choose the option for their conscious customers.
“Through a new partnership with EcoEnclose, U.S. sellers can access and buy packaging made from certified responsibly sourced and 100% recycled materials that buyers can immediately recycle at home- padded paper mailers and rigid paper envelopes, each in multiple sizes based on those most commonly used by Etsy sellers,” Etsy.
Etsy’s Other Sustainable Goals
Meeting a goal to have net zero carbon emissions in less than 10 years won’t be met by simply switching out packaging. Recognizing their impact as a global marketplace, Etsy has laid out other steps they will take to reduce their environmental footprint. These will fall in line with Science Based Target Initiatives that include step-by-step goals the company will take to “reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to prevent the worst effects of climate change.”
Etsy is one company that has had their eye on the environment for quite some time. In 2016, the company began their commitment to power their operations with 100% renewable electricity. That translated to investing in a solar farm and migrating to a Google Cloud Platform. Solar panels were also put in place on their offices to further their clean energy goals.
In 2019, the brand became the first company to offset their emissions from shipping. Powered by data, the brand realized that 98% of their carbon emissions came from shipping. Since a lot of these shipments are made by third-party suppliers, Etsy set out to offset the emissions that they couldn’t control. Through a partnership with 3Degrees, the brand is able to “support environmental projects, including protecting forests that improve air quality and absorb carbon, sponsoring wind and solar farms that generate clean energy and replace fossil fuels.”
