SINGAPORE: A new set of guidelines was introduced on Tuesday (Mar 4) to help the e-commerce sector minimise its packaging waste, including seven specific ways to cut down on cardboard box usage. 

The guidelines were developed by an Alliance for Action looking at packaging waste in e-commerce - 14 companies spanning e-commerce marketplaces, retailers and packaging producers, as well as industry experts. The alliance is co-led by the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) and Singapore Post, with support from the National Environment Agency (NEA).

An estimated 186,000 parcels were delivered in Singapore per day in 2023, generating as much as 15,900 tonnes of packaging that year alone – roughly equivalent to the weight of 1,200 double-decker buses.   The guidelines outline practical "3R" solutions – reduce, reuse and recycle – tailored to various packaging materials, including cardboard boxes, mailers and fillers. 

For cardboard boxes alone, there were seven recommendations for businesses – from expanding the range of box sizes available to switching to lighter alternative packaging.

Each recommendation includes step-by-step actions, expected benefits and potential drawbacks. They are benchmarked against estimated effort, cost and environmental impact to allow businesses to adopt solutions that best fit their needs, the agencies said.

Initiatives for e-commerce marketplaces to promote sustainable packaging to consumers and drive awareness and responsibilities among suppliers are also outlined.

A recent study by WWF-Singapore found that consumers in Singapore are open to more sustainable packaging and may even be willing to pay extra for environmentally friendly choices.

The guidelines also feature a scorecard tool for companies to assess their sustainability efforts and identify areas for improvement. 

"Based on real-world case studies, companies may uncover opportunities to reduce packaging needs by up to 90 per cent, such as by switching from a corrugated cardboard box to a similar-sized paper mailer," NEA, SMF and SingPost said.

For instance, beauty and health retailer Watsons Singapore reduced bubble wrap usage and repurposed shredded cardboard as filler material, leading to cost savings of 5 to 10 per cent. Packaging company Sealed Air found that faster deliveries enabled apparel retailers to use less protective packaging, cutting plastic and paper mailer material by 30 to 50 per cent.

To encourage businesses to adopt these guidelines, workshops will be conducted under the Packaging Partnership Programme, launched in 2021 and administered by SMF.

Addressing packaging waste is a key goal under Singapore's Zero Waste Masterplan, which aims to increase the national recycling rate to 70 per cent by 2030. 

"All stakeholders in the e-commerce ecosystem, including businesses and consumers, have an important role to play in managing packaging materials responsibly," said NEA, SMF and SingPost.