How to reduce the carbon footprint of online shopping

Senior Manager, Global Corporate Affairs, Jingdong

Green supply chain management integrates environmental protection measures into the entire supply chain process.

Co-designing packaging with manufacturers can reduce packaging waste.

Logistics providers can work to ensure that used products have a rich Second Life.

When a package of an online purchase arrives at our door, how many of us wonder where it came from? Probably not much. Few, if any, thought about the carbon footprint of the package as it was delivered.

It's not just the "last mile" of the logistics process (delivery) that adds to our carbon footprint. Every step -- from the time a product is made to the time it gets delivered to us -- creates a carbon footprint. In short, supply chains are very carbon intensive, but fortunately there are things we can do to mitigate their impact. The first is green supply chain management.

Green supply chain management integrates environmental protection measures into the entire supply chain process, from product design to procurement, from product delivery to disposal. No party in the supply chain can achieve this on its own. Green supply chain management requires an integrated stakeholder approach to ensure that every activity in the supply chain is more sustainable.

As China's largest retailer and leading logistics provider, JD.com is pioneering an ecosystem approach to managing the country's green supply chain. Under the "Green Logistics Initiative" jointly launched by JD and its partners (including Procter & Gamble, Nestle, Lego, Unilever, WWF, etc.) in 2017, many decarbonization measures have been taken throughout the supply chain to ensure responsible consumption, transportation, and waste disposal:

1. Packaging design

2. The procurement

Minimizing secondary packaging and waste is a common goal for both upstream and downstream partners in the supply chain ecosystem. One solution is to use boxes that can be recycled throughout the ecosystem.

3. Green storage

Behind efficient logistics operations are large, highly automated warehouses. A key consideration is how to power these warehouses to ensure they can meet business needs without causing a lot of pollution. So JD built a large distributed photovoltaic power system on the roof of its warehouse in Asia's No.1 logistics and distribution center. The system powers highly automated warehouses and is connected to the grid. By 2030, the power generation area is expected to reach 200 million square meters, which will be the largest source of such clean energy.

In addition, in some automated areas, the robot can operate in the dark, so lighting systems are not needed. A rainwater harvesting system under the warehouse serves as a reservoir for irrigation water in the green area of the distribution center. Inside warehouses as well as JD.com's delivery stations (the last point of integration before delivering packages to consumers), we are using electronic orders to go paperless, thereby saving a lot of paper.

4. Transportation

5. Product delivery

Products can be delivered in recyclable boxes and insulated cold chain containers that can be reused during the packaging, distribution and delivery phases. To motivate customers to participate, we offer loyalty points and discounts to customers who join the box recycling program.

6. Waste product management

To track used products and give them access to a rich Second Life, JD.com uses its digital platforms and logistics to ensure that used products (such as clothes, toys, books, etc.) are delivered to their new homes. Some of the products have been reused by charities, some have been recycled by specialist recyclers and some have been redesigned into new products.