Bol.com unravels by not packaging over 3.5 million items

Bol.com is eliminating the blue and white bol.com box in 2019 wherever possible. This year, approximately 3.5 million items will be shipped without the recognizable bol.com box. If the cardboard box is necessary for the protection of the item, bol.com will pack it in the most responsible way possible. For example, bol.com is also introducing a shipping bag made of recycled plastic and is reducing the use of cardboard and padding material. This ensures less empty air in packages, resulting in fewer transport movements. These sustainable packaging measures are part of bol.com’s ambition to reduce CO2 emissions per package to 0 grams by 2025.

Olaf van den Brink, Director of Logistics at bol.com: “As an online retailer committed to sustainable and responsible business practices, efficient packaging is currently one of our biggest challenges. But as an e-commerce company, why would you pack items in boxes at all if that is not necessary? For items such as fans, deep fryers, irons, printers, coffee makers and diapers, the item’s own packaging already provides enough protection. Shipping at least 3.5 million items per year without a bol.com box is an important step towards climate-neutral shopping at bol.com by 2025. We know we still have many steps to take to achieve our goals, but by doing better every day, we are moving closer to an even more sustainable e-commerce.”

Packaging accounts for about 20 percent of bol.com’s total CO2 emissions. Since this is a substantial share, bol.com can make a significant impact on reducing its direct carbon footprint with sustainable packaging measures.

Shipping bag
The new bol.com shipping bag is made of 100 percent recycled plastic. It is used to custom pack items such as backpacks, towels, socks and clothing. This way, more packages can be carried per delivery. However, the CO2 reduction is mainly achieved because this packaging material is lighter. Compared to the cardboard box it replaces, the shipping bag is expected to deliver a CO2 reduction of 90 percent per package. This estimate has been validated by the renowned sustainability consultancy Sustainalize using their Externalize method. A message on the shipping bag to separate it back into the plastic waste as well, alerts customers to the possibility of recycling.

Advanced packing machines
In addition to efficient manual packing, bol.com’s fulfillment center in Waalwijk also works with advanced packing machines. In this way, empty space in packages is prevented as much as possible. Since 2015, bol.com has been one of the first companies in Europe to have an automatic packing machine that precisely matches the packaging to the item. Meanwhile, bol.com uses 7 of these packing machines, resulting in a reduction of CO2 emissions. In the coming years, this number will grow to over 25 packing machines, and bol.com will continue to experiment and innovate on this topic.