Wayfair
At a Glance
Industry
Retail and Apparel
Project Types
Supply Chain, Sustainability and Energy Management Strategy
Year
2022
Location
Boston, MA
Summary
Kate Morsink established Wayfair’s first packaging baseline, drafted sustainable packaging goals and identified process optimization opportunities.
Goals
Wayfair is a global billion-dollar e-commerce business that is an online marketplace for all things ‘home’. In 2022 Wayfair published their first Corporate Responsibility Report and published Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction targets. As Wayfair progresses on their sustainability journey, they identified packaging as an area of opportunity and enlisted Climate Corps Fellow Kate Morsink to create a sustainable packaging roadmap.
Solutions
Kate Morsink identified four key phases that Wayfair should follow.
Establish their baseline. Morsink procured and aggregated data from Wayfair’s packaging suppliers to calculate Wayfair’s current packaging baseline in terms of:
- material weight
- volume
- monetary spend
- percentage of materials that are:
- recyclable
- compostable
- plastic
- made from renewable materials
Identity areas of opportunity. Morsink conducted a competitor analysis review and recommended long-term public sustainable packaging goals for Wayfair to work towards.
Identification of sustainable packaging materials. Morsink connected with suppliers and conducted research to determine which packaging materials Wayfair should be procuring, in addition to a cost analysis.
Packaging process optimization. Morsink initiated several internal informational interviews and mapped out the packaging process in order to identify problematic areas and opportunities for increased efficiencies.
Potential Impact
The calculation of Wayfair’s packaging baseline, enabled Morsink to develop a detailed sustainable packaging roadmap, including establishing sustainable packaging goals. By identifying sustainable packaging alternatives and process optimization opportunities, Wayfair’s packaging team could realize significant waste reduction and cost savings.