Etsy

At a Glance

Industry

Internet, Software, Hardware and Technology Services

Project Types

Supply Chain, Sustainability and Energy Management Strategy

Year

2022

Location

Brooklyn, NY

Summary

Sofia John developed proposals for circular e-commerce packaging pilots with the potential to reduce Scope 3 emissions for Etsy.

Goals

Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. Its mission is to Keep Commerce Human and Etsy has long been committed to sustainability. Etsy sellers ship millions of packages annually, creating greenhouse gas emissions and waste. Etsy offsets emissions from shipping and packaging and has implemented strategies to reduce pressure on environmental resources. To further its sustainable packaging efforts, Etsy invited Sofia John to explore possibilities for a circular e-commerce packaging program.

Solutions

To assess feasibility  of a circular packaging program, Sofia surveyed the market landscape, modeled projected emissions and financial impacts, and evaluated the emissions impact of an existing sustainable packaging program at Etsy. 

She identified relevant stakeholders in the circular packaging space. Conversations with packaging vendors and other players allowed for the comparison of market offerings and better understanding of opportunities and challenges of circular packaging. 

Additionally, she leveraged data from industry stakeholders to quantify environmental and cost saving opportunities, relative to conventional systems.

Because circular packaging fits within a broader sustainable packaging program at Etsy, Sofia also updated the packaging emissions model to determine emissions saved from adoption of paper packaging with 100% recycled content.

Potential Impact

With this research, Sofia presented opportunities related to circular packaging and proposed two pilot programs. The potential pilots take into account various factors, including program costs, buyer behavior, and existing market solutions. 

As a result, Etsy is better prepared to make decisions to help sellers take advantage of circular packaging, and has a roadmap of possible next steps for rolling out a pilot program.

 


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